The Way We Were
by bubblegum1425
Summary: It's been four years since Katniss Everdeen saw or even spoke to her childhood best friend. But now Peeta Mellark has returned to their town of Panem, and life will never be the same. Can they find a way back to one another? Katniss is determined to try. But with hard truths and hidden secrets to confront, it's not going to be easy.
1. Summer

**Author's Note: The start of a new WIP! I didn't intend to start a new one so soon, but the story bug for this one just kind of hit me, and Chapter 1 is the result! For anyone worried that because I'm starting this one, I will neglect my others, please don't. I love writing in all my worlds and have no intention to stop :) **

**This story is modern AU and if you're wondering what the Panem of this new universe looks like, it's modeled after the Hamptons. Just to give you a visual.**

**A big thank you goes to Solas Violetta for her awesome beta-ing skills, Titania522 for her always wonderful support, and nightlockinthecave for the banner she's making for me for this story (that will be posted shortly). **

**Last note, there will be some minor Galeniss in this story, but please be assured that Everlark will always be end game in my stories…And that the endings to them will always be happy, even if the journey gets rough sometimes along the way. **

**Hope you enjoy, reviews are welcome, and thanks for reading! **

_Katniss_

Katniss sighed loudly and glanced at the clock for fourth time in five minutes, her knee jiggling impatiently against the counter.

11:55

_Almost there. _

She looked around the store, scowling at the doily covered tables and poufy pink and green chairs scattered about the shop, Effie's words from when she'd walked into work trilling in her head.

"_Oh Katniss, darling! Today is going to be a big, big cleaning day! I'll be closing the shop early tonight so that we can get everything done. It'll be so fun!" _

Katniss grimaced, wondering what random thing Effie was going to have her clean first. Her eyes halted on the rows of decorative plates covering the far wall of the shop. She bet the masterfully painted blue and white platters covered in scenes of a pastoral countryside would require some dusting.

11:57.

_How long is it again until you can quit this nightmare?_

She looked out the shop's large plate glass window, staring longingly at the sprawling green lawn and stately trees of the well-kept park that lay across the street. It always looked beautiful but to someone who had been stuck inside a sweltering boutique since 5 this morning, Snow Park could practically be called paradise.

Katniss was so distracted by the bright sunlight filtering through the softly swaying leaves of a giant oak tree near the edge of the road that she almost failed to notice a man with slicked back brown hair and impeccably groomed goatee sauntering towards the shop.

_Oh no. _

Katniss looked frantically back up at the Hello Kitty! themed timepiece on the wall.

11:59

One minute. No way was she going to let a customer take away from her lunch time. It was her one hour of freedom from this blasted place until 5:30. Or later, if Effie's threat about a big day of cleaning came to pass.

Katniss willed the man to look at her, but it wasn't until he had placed his hand on the door knob that he noticed Katniss staring at him through the glass. He gave her a wide simpering smile, which Katniss met with her trademark scowl, deliberately trying to look as unpleasant as possible.

_Open that door, buddy, and you'll get your ass kicked_, she tried to communicate to him silently.

And as the man's smile slowly faltered under her gaze, and then dropped off his face altogether, a deep sense of satisfaction welled within her. Katniss had him running. There was no doubt now.

But for good measure, she quirked an eyebrow at him and glared daggers, daring him to come any further into the store. A shadow of fear passed across his face before he spun on his heels and quickly walked away.

Katniss looked back up at the clock once more and almost started laughing in her relief.

12:00

_Made it. _

As if to confirm her impending escape, Katniss heard the familiar clacking of Effie's heels against the wooden floor as she made her way from her office to the storefront to relieve Katniss for her lunch break. Katniss let out a deep gust of air and braced herself for her boss' entrance.

The woman walked into the main space with a look of happiness on her face that fell dramatically at the sight of the empty shop. She gasped loudly in obvious dismay. Katniss could barely contain her eye roll.

Effie Trinket was a forty-something year old woman who tried to maintain the look that she was in her twenties. Unsuccessfully.

Her hair was dyed a bright fake looking blonde, and she had more make-up on her face than Katniss had ever worn throughout all her life combined. Every necklace, bangle, and ring Effie wore always carefully coordinated with her expensive dresses and tailored suits. She never wore any shoes other than the six-inch stilettos she jammed her perfectly pedicured feet into. A clothing magazine was never far from her grasp, and her favorite topic of discussion was what Dior, Cinna, and a host of other fashion designers had put out for their summer collections.

And she was also the proud owner of Effie's Effervescent Essentials & Boutique Coffee Shop. Or well her husband, Plutarch, was anyways.

Katniss knew for a fact that the store operated at a loss, judging by the record books she'd peaked at one day while grabbing something from the back room. It wasn't surprising considering the ridiculously high hourly rate Effie paid her, not that Katniss ever felt obliged to tell her that. It was the only reason Katniss tolerated working here.

No, the fact was Plutarch let Effie have the shop as a way to keep her busy when he was away on his business trips and also to keep her somewhat out of his hair whenever he came home. Katniss could respect that. A little Effie went a long way.

"Oh, Katniss, dear. Have we really had no customers since the morning rush? I thought for sure that the buy 2 get 1 free special on the tea candles would have enticed some people to come in." Effie trilled out in a high-pitched voice.

"Nope," Katniss lied, avoiding Effie's eyes. She was a terrible actress, and even someone as airheaded as Effie could often tell when she wasn't being honest.

_At least you're good at keeping your thoughts hidden_, Katniss reflected, repressing another eye roll as Effie rambled about the new mahogany tables she'd ordered that would shortly be replacing the perfectly adequate oak ones scattered throughout the room. Only two people had ever been able to discern her thoughts with ease, one of whom was her sister, Prim, while the other..._Well, he has been gone a long time now so it doesn't matter,_ she reminded herself sternly, trying to quickly end such a dangerous line of thinking. That path only led to pain. She looked back up at the clock.

12:03

_Damn it. _

Katniss narrowed her eyes at Effie, trying to determine the best place to interrupt her nattering while simultaneously being in awe of Effie's ability to talk non-stop. It was a wonder the woman wasn't turning blue from lack of oxygen. Katniss certainly didn't see her taking any breaths…

"...I was thinking of redoing the counters in mahogany too. And perhaps the wood paneling. Of course, I would have to talk to Plutarch about all this, but I don't see how he would mind. I mean mahogany is _in_ this year after all. I think he'd understand. What do you think, Katniss?"

Katniss blinked in alarm. The only woods she liked giving an opinion on were the ones you could walk through. "Uh, I'm sure whatever you pick Plutarch will love. You have um, the best...taste?" Effie beamed at her praise, and Katniss sighed in relief that the woman didn't want her thoughts on anything else. Overall, Effie was fairly sweet, sometimes even endearing, but she was just a little dense at times.

"Thank you, Katniss, my dear. You are just too kind," Effie said, dabbing at her eye with a pink and white polka-dot handkerchief.

Katniss nodded. It was now or never. "Effie? Would you mind if I go to lunch now? It's after twelve," she asked bluntly.

Effie gasped. "Oh my! I'm so sorry. Look at me, prattling on like a ninny. Of course, you may go. Just remember to be back promptly at one please. Yesterday, you were late, and I know your parents raised you to have better manners." Effie gave her a wide smile. "And manners are what matter the most, as my mother always said."

She patted Katniss lightly on the arm in what Katniss assumed Effie thought was an affectionate way, but fortunately failed to notice the way Katniss stiffened at her touch. She didn't appreciate being addressed like a five year old girl rather than the twenty-one year old woman she was.

"Alright, Effie. I'll be back at one." She whipped off her apron and rushed out the door without another word to her employer.

A light breeze hit her face, feeling refreshingly cool after the stifling, perfumed air of the shop. Sunlight beamed down from a bright blue cloudless sky. Children's laughter floated over from where a dozen of them were capering around the playground. And not a hundred yards off, a group of people in varying colored work outfits were waving her over to an ornately carved white picnic table.

Katniss smiled slightly. _If Effie only knew the way your parents actually raised you, maybe she'd forgive you being tardy a second day...Or maybe she'd still lecture you on bad manners. _

Either way, Katniss was going to find out. She sprinted across the street to meet her friends.

**XXXXX**

"God, this summer is going to be awful; I can already tell. How can it only be May 21st and be this fucking hot out?" Johanna said, glaring around at the table like she expected everyone else to make it better.

"Jo, it's like 80 degrees. It's not that bad," Finnick said with a laugh, his sea green eyes sparkling with amusement at the tiny dark-haired girl's malicious facial expression.

"Says the guy who'll be playing in his parent's mansion the entire summer." She punched him hard in the arm. "Why is it you want to work with all of us poor people again? Don't you have a college degree that you're supposed to be using to find a real job right about now? "

"Hey now! Working as a lifeguard is a real job, and the parental unit left for a four month tour of Europe yesterday. It's a burden having parents who don't give two fucks about what you do," Finn replied airily. He pointed at everyone around the bench. "All of you are expected to come to the parties I plan on holding. That goes for you, too, Madge," he said, nodding at the mousy looking brown haired girl to his left. Madge blushed a wild shade of red at having been put on the spot, but she smiled timidly in acquiescence.

He then turned to Katniss with a wily grin. "And yes, that goes for you also, Kat. You can even bring Grumpy, and we'll see if we can finally succeed in turning his frown upside down." Katniss scowled at him. Finnick_ knew_ how much it pissed her off when he called Gale that, but Finnick only smiled wider at her deepened frown.

"This is the summer we're all going to get you to live a little. There are still several spots open on the lifeguarding roster for Snow Beach." Katniss started to shake her head to tell him no, but Finnick narrowed his eyes in disbelief. "You can't tell me Trinket isn't already driving you nuts. I think part of the reason my parents ran for the hills is that they didn't want to sit through any more drinks at the club with her and Plutarch. There's a reason she never keeps help for long. Jo, you lasted what, one day?"

"A half day."

"So if Jo lasted a half day, the fact that Catnip has lasted there two weeks should be viewed as a minor miracle, right?"

They all whipped around at the sound of Gale's familiar low rumbling voice and watched him make his way over to the picnic area. At over six-feet tall with short dark hair framing a handsome olive-toned face, Gale Hawthorne looked like he could be a male model. If that was, he ever dressed the part. But his green, grease stained t-shirt, ragged blue flannel over shirt, and faded hole-ridden jeans didn't exactly portray the image. Only Finnick rivaled him in looks.

"_And egos,"_ a wry voice in the back of Katniss' head said.

Katniss almost snorted with laughter. Both the boys had very healthy egos. In fact, Katniss was convinced Finnick thought he was God's gift to the female population at large. She still wasn't exactly sure how she'd become friends with him.

"_Yes, you do," _the same small voice said.

"_Fuck off,"_ she told it, trying to ignore the lancing pain in her suddenly rapidly beating heart. She focused on Gale.

"She's not _that_ bad, Gale," Katniss said, offering up a rare smile to her oldest friend, as he sat down to join the rest of them for lunch.

Their fathers had been best friends and had encouraged their children to be as well. And with Gale being only two years older than her, that friendship had indeed come easily. Gale was a good friend and often Katniss' best support, watching over her and her sister like a protective older brother.

_Though lately,_ Katniss mused, _He's also become your occasional fuckbuddy_. _So...really not so much like an older brother at all_. She didn't care though. They both knew nothing serious would ever come of it. There was simply a point where you knew _too_ much about another person to make something romantic work.

"Yeah, sure, Brainless," Johanna said loudly, interrupting Katniss' thoughts. "As long as you ignore the endless talks about who-gives-a-fuck-who-they-are fashion designers, discussions on which pastels coordinate best with the woodwork, and torture sessions where you dust endless rows of decorative kitten plates. Seriously, I'm surprised you lasted any longer than me with Miss Rainbows and Puppy Dogs given your oh-so-sunny personality."

"Thanks, Jo," Katniss grumbled, trying hard not to acknowledge the truth of Johanna's words.

"Oh Katniss, I wish you would lifeguard with us," Delly said from where she sat next to Finnick. The buxom blonde clapped her hands together. "They pay really well, and I bet if you talk to Haymitch, he'd give you the equivalent of what Miss Trinket is paying you." Delly gave her a pleading look when she noticed the skeptical one on Katniss' face. "Really. You might even be able to get him to take on Prim as a concession worker. That's what Rory is doing, right Gale?" she said a little desperately.

"Yeah, he is. I bet Prim would like working there too," Gale replied shortly. Katniss' gave him a sharp look, and he had the grace to look a little guilty.

Delly continued with one last pitch. "It's probably the last summer we'll all be together now that most everyone has finished their degrees. It would be so great to be with each other every day. We haven't all worked in the same place since we worked at Mellark's Bakery in high school."

A barely detectable frisson of tension ran through the group, and Katniss felt a hard lump in her throat at Delly's mention of Mellark's. She glanced around the table nervously and noticed how suddenly no one was looking at anyone else nor at the large blue and white storefront several doors down from where Effie's shop lay. Katniss could almost taste the thick sadness that now hung in the air. Unable to come up with a reply to Delly's words, she started picking at the chipping white paint on the picnic table.

Delly looked from face to face, her ever present smile faltering slightly. "Remember how much fun we all had?" she asked quietly.

After a lengthy awkward silence, Katniss finally answered, "Yeah, Dell. It was great. But a lot has changed." She winced at the crestfallen look Delly gave her upon hearing her blunt words. She sighed. "I'll think about ok?"

"Yay!" Delly exclaimed and grasped Katniss' hands tightly in both of her own. "I know you'll like it, K. It'll be great! This will be great!" Everyone, even Katniss, started laughing at Delly's enthusiasm, and her presumption that Katniss was going to work there even though she'd just said she would just consider it.

The minutes passed in comfortable silence among the six of them after that. They'd all known each other since they were young, having attended grade school onward together. And though some of them hadn't become friends until much later, they hadn't stopped hanging out since.

Katniss supposed some people would find it pathetic that she had lived in Panem, a coastal town of about 50,000 known for its quaint shops, fine restaurants, first-class resorts, and white-sand beaches, her entire life. Or perhaps they would think she was a loser for still hanging mostly with her friends from high school. But Katniss didn't make friends easily, and most of the people at the local college, Panem University, she had attended were snobby douchebags. At least in her opinion.

She, Gale, and Johanna were all from the Seam, the unseemly poor area on the far edge of town that the mostly uber-wealthy people of Panem liked to pretend didn't exist, even though Seam residents were often the ones who cut their perfectly landscaped lawns, cleaned their large pools, and even taught their children.

While Gale had a gotten a two year associate's degree before apprenticing himself to the local car mechanic, Katniss and Jo had scrounged their way through four years of school with the aid of merit scholarships, low-income grants, and working long nights as receptionists for the residence halls. Just one week ago, Katniss had graduated with a degree in social work. Katniss supposed she should have felt more proud of herself during that graduation ceremony, but social work prospects in the town of Panem weren't great. And unfortunately, she couldn't move away until Prim graduated from high school next year.

Finnick, Madge, and Delly, on the other hand, were all from very wealthy families. Delly's mother was a famous shoe designer, and her father was in hedge funds. Finnick's father was the CEO of his own sportswear and equipment company, while his mother had once been a famous swimmer who now gave inspirational speeches across the country. And Madge's father was one of the representatives to the Senate in the Capitol. Madge hardly ever saw him.

The three could have gone anywhere in the country for school, but much to Katniss' surprise, they had all stuck around Panem instead. She could still remember Delly explaining how she was just a homebody, while Madge had blushingly told everyone that her father wanted to show the people how the Undersee family supported the local community. And Finnick had just said he didn't give a fuck where he went. Katniss' head still hurt just thinking about some of the antics he'd gotten up to while he attained his business degree.

Katniss was grateful for them, even if they didn't always understand her. How could they really? Except for Gale, none of them had experienced any of the same tragedies life had thrown at her. But they were all supportive, nonetheless. Though they probably seemed like an odd sextet at first glance.

"_With a missing seventh member,_" the now cruel voice in the back of her head added.

Katniss pinched herself, disgusted that she was allowing so many thoughts of _him_ to rise to the surface today. She was usually better about blocking out feelings she did not want to explore, and memories she did not want to relive. _But tomorrow is the anniversary after all,_ Katniss thought, her sorrowful heart clenching painfully in her chest.

"Good fucking God, how much flour did Rye buy? I know the place is popular, but that's just ridiculous," Johanna's barking voice said, crashing through Katniss' thoughts.

They all swung around to watch a large white pick-up truck with a peeling "Mellark's Family Bakery" logo plastered on its side stop at the red light near them. The bed of the vehicle was filled with boxes stacked to a dangerous height and precariously secured with some thin bungee cord. Judging by the constant teetering of the top row, Katniss guessed he had done a pretty poor job of tying them down.

"Hey Rye, next time leave some flour for the rest of us!" Finnick called out loudly towards the open window of the dark cab where Rye Mellark's profile could just be seen. He gave them all a short wave, before gunning the engine as the light turned green.

"That can't really all be flour can it, Finnick?" Delly asked as Rye pulled into one of the parking spaces in front of the bakery. Katniss looked back towards the table, as uninterested in the boxes as she was looking at the store. Her memories kept threatening to overwhelm her as it was.

"I don't know, Dell. Your guess is as good as mine, and I haven't talked to Rye in a long while. Maybe they're doing another expansion," Finnick said with a shrug, starting to turn away. But then he froze, a look of awe crossing his face.

"Finnick? You ok?" Johanna asked. She waved a hand in front of Finnick's face, but he didn't seem to notice, his mouth opening and closing like a fish.

Finally, he gasped out, "Did they hire someone new over there?" He pointed back towards the bakery, and everyone turned back around again to see what he was pointing at. It took a second for Katniss to figure out who Finn was pointing at, so short was the girl that he had noticed. But finally, Katniss caught sight of her as she walked around the truck to grab a box that Rye handed her from atop the pile.

She had long auburn hair that flowed past her shoulders, milk-white skin, and a very petite frame. While Katniss, too, was small, she had what most called a "sturdy" frame, given her fit muscular arms and legs toned through many days of hiking and hunting. But even from a distance, Katniss could see that this girl looked very dainty, almost to the point of being frail. And though Katniss couldn't see her face clearly, she could easily see that the girl was very pretty. No wonder Finnick was mesmerized; he'd never been able to resist flirting with anyone. Katniss was just grateful he'd given up trying with her pretty much the day they had become friends.

"Or maybe she's Rye's new girlfriend. Ever think about that, Finnick?" Gale said with a mocking laugh. Finnick glared at him, while everyone else sighed. Though the two had been "friends" for years, they just tolerated each other more than anything else.

"No way Rye is capable of getting that sort of tail. Maybe Bannock, but he's been up in the Capitol for two years now. Think Rich actually just made him the new CEO of the company, from what my dad said. And of course, Peeta-." Finnick stopped talking abruptly; a brief flash of pain ran crossing his face, while the tension in the air thickened again. Finnick gave them all a guilty look. Katniss' sucked in a breath, her heart racing, as she struggled to not let any of the turmoil she too was feeling show on her face. "Well, anyways, she_ has_ to be a new hire." Finnick finally said with a strained smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"I'm sure you'll let us know soon enough, if you're dick is getting that hard just looking at her," Johanna said amiably, picking at the spot of paint Katniss had loosened. She then gave Finnick a wicked looking grin. "Maybe she'll even be the one to finally capture your heart and end your playboy ways for good."

"Ha! As if, Jo. One woman is simply not enough for one guy." He looked around at rest of them with a wide grin. "No offense meant, ladies." Katniss rolled her eyes at him again while Delly started giggling. Madge blushed as usual.

"Nice, Finnick," Gale said bluntly. He gave Katniss an oddly furtive look. Katniss raised her eyebrows at him, not understanding the look. But he looked away quickly once he noticed her staring at him, leaving Katniss in a state of complete bewilderment at his uncharacteristic reticence.

Finnick just shrugged at Gale, unusually quiet, and continued to watch Rye and the red-headed girl pull some boxes down from the truck. Johanna gave him an incredulous look before she turned to Katniss and asked-

"So are you going to come out with us tonight or is Squirt gonna take up your time?"

Katniss cringed internally. She never wanted to go to the bars very much, but she'd already told Gale that Prim was going to be sleeping over at her friend Rue's house. She knew he'd call her out if she lied. "No, Prim is spending the night at a friend's house. But seriously, Johanna, can't we just stay in and hang out for once? When's the last Friday we did that?" she almost whined.

Johanna gave her a look of disbelief. "Not since we were loser high schoolers who didn't have fake I.D.s. And now that we have real I.D.s, I like to give mine a work-out. How else am I supposed to meet all the guys in this town?" Katniss huffed out a breath. Johanna was nearly as promiscuous as Finnick when it came right down to it. Johanna narrowed her eyes at Katniss' expression. "Don't get your panties in a bunch, Kat. This is the first weekend of the summer. It's time to celebrate and get-"

The roar of the motorcycle drowned out the rest of Johanna's words.

They all looked to the far side of the park where they could just make out a motorcycle turning the corner at the far light, it's tail pipes glinting in the sun. Another roar echoed through the trees and sent a few startled birds flying into the air.

"Oy, the old biddies around here aren't going to like the sound of _that_," Finnick said, the rumbling noise of bike finally pulling his eyes away from the bakery.

"Or the younger biddies," Katniss said with a laugh, pointing to where Effie had just poked her head out of her store, the scandalized expression on her face evident even from here. "If that guy isn't careful, Thread is going to be after his ass for violating the noise ordinance." She watched with mild interest as the motorcycle came to a stop at the red light Rye Mellark's truck had halted at a few minutes before.

"OH MY GOD," Gale suddenly said loudly, causing everyone to look at him in surprise. He looked at them sheepishly, but the overall awed expression on his face remained. "That's a Vyrus C3 4VV. They can cost up over $100,000 dollars," Gale said weakly. "Supercharged 1200 cc Ducati engine. 211 horsepower. Only 350 pounds. One of the world's fastest production motorcycles. Perfect for racing. I'd give _anything_ to own one or even-"

"Never mind that," Johanna said, cutting off Gale's rambling with a wave of her hand. "Where can I get me one of _those_?" she said, pointing at the motorcycle's rider. Katniss hadn't paid attention to him, but upon a closer look, she understood what Johanna meant. She couldn't see the person's face, covered as it was by a full helmet and completely black eye shield, but the motorcyclist's body was something to behold.

He didn't look particularly tall, but height had never been something Katniss cared about all that much. Her eyes ran over the blue, orange, and white plaid shirt he wore, her stomach fluttering wildly at the sprinkling of hair that could be seen covering his broad muscled chest where it peeked out from the top two buttons of his shirt that he'd left undone. He'd also rolled his sleeves up to just above his elbows, giving Katniss a good view of his well-developed biceps, which flexed as he moved to adjust something on the bike. Katniss guessed his abs would be just as glorious if they were visible. And when she looked further down his body, Katniss felt a sudden rush of heat between her legs.

The faded blue jeans he wore stretched over his powerful looking thighs and sinewy calves, his feet covered in scuffed brown leather work-boots. A silver chain attached at his belt looped to one of his back pockets, securing what Katniss assumed had to be his wallet. She leaned slightly to the left in what she hoped was a discrete way, trying to get a good look at his back side. But the proper angle was too far to achieve without being noticed. Seeming to hear her prayer, the rider leaned over the handlebars, allowing Katniss a spectacular view of the way his jeans molded to his perfectly sculpted ass. Her heart thrummed erratically at the sight of it.

Johanna let out a loud sigh of clear satisfaction. "They don't make them like that in Panem. Sorry, boys," she added, noticing the now sour expressions on the Gale's and Finnick's faces. Then, she gave Delly, Katniss, and Madge a wide grin. "Hope he's staying around because I'd really like a taste of what he's packin'." Katniss looked away from her quickly, the tiny spark of anger she'd felt at Johanna's words flustering her.

Being possessive wasn't like her. It's not like she knew the guy. She hadn't even seen his face! And if what Gale said was true about the extreme cost of the motorcycle, he was probably just some rich visitor to one of the local resorts. Those people were always here for the summer, gone come fall, with never a glance to spare at any of the locals in the meantime.

So when the rider pulled into the spot next to Rye Mellark's truck, Katniss was very confused. It was so unlike resort guests to stop in town in the middle of the day. They were always too eager to get to the beaches.

She looked at everyone quizzically, but they only answered her with baffled looks of their own, staring at the driver as he turned off his bike. He didn't take off his headgear right away, but instead sat there silently, his helmet upturned, seemingly staring at the bakery sign.

"Another new hire?" Finnick guessed.

Gale punched him lightly. "Yeah, sure, Finn. Because riding a motorcycle that costs 100 grand really screams that you need money," he said sullenly.

"Maybe he wants to try the 'original' Mellark breads?" Delly said in a perplexed tone. But then she let out a large gasp of surprise as the motorcyclist finally removed his helmet.

Katniss felt Gale go rigid at her side, his eyes suddenly shining with poorly concealed anger. Finnick made a choking noise as the color drained from his face. Madge clasped both of her hands over her lips, and Johanna's mouth fell wide open. A wave of dizziness rolled over Katniss, forcing her to clutch tightly to the wood of the bench to keep from falling off.

"Is that..." Madge trailed off, forgetting to complete her sentence out of sheer wonderment.

"That, that has to be," Delly squeaked out, eyes wide with shock.

"No fucking way," Johanna said, astonishment lacing her tone.

But if anyone said anything after that, Katniss didn't hear it. She wasn't listening anymore.

Even with his back turned to them, Katniss didn't need anyone to tell her who that mop of wavy ash blonde hair belonged to. If anyone asked who that was, she would also be able to tell them the owner had a beautifully straight nose, a jawline so well defined it could probably cut glass, a crooked smile that made girls go weak at the knees, and eyes so blue the sky itself was undoubtedly jealous. Her heart started pounding so hard that she could barely breath.

If Gale was her oldest friend, this boy had once been her best friend. And her childhood love. The one Katniss hadn't spoken to in three years, three hundred sixty-four days, nine hours, and twenty-seven minutes.

Peeta Mellark had finally come home.

.


	2. Homecoming

**Author's Note: I want to thank everyone for waiting so patiently for an update on this story. I know the gap was quite a long one, and I'm hopeful (after this very busy upcoming month) that there won't be any more significant delays.**

**My next project is a one-shot (which will eventually become a 4 part ficlit) for the Prompts in Panem coming this following week. Look for it on Day 3! I hope everyone will check out all the other new works as well, as there are such wonderful authors in this Fandom. After that, I will be working on a new chapter of The Sun Thief, and then I will return to this story. **

**I need to thank my lovely betas, titania522/ct522 and Solas Violetta, for looking over this chapter for me. They are wonderful reviewers and even more wonderful friends. A third thank you goes to my friend, nightlockinthecave, for the awesome banner she made for this story. I've been sitting on it for weeks and am so excited that I can finally share it! **

**Thank you for reading and please review! I love hearing what readers think :) **

**~bubbles**

_Peeta_

Peeta Mellark gazed up at his family's bakery from where he was sitting on his motorcycle, unable to contain his grimace at the sight of the weathered but cheerful sign hanging above the entranceway that read The _Original _Mellark's Family Bakery. Underneath the faded blue letters a smaller white script merrily explained the store had been "Baking since 1863!" He exhaled a long sigh, only wishing he felt as happy about being at the bakery as the sign seemed to want him to be.

"Jesus Christ, Peeta! Don't fucking dawdle," Rye's angry voice suddenly called out to him from somewhere beyond the open door. "Grab the boxes with the red tabs and get them inside. The rest of that shit is yours. We can't be late or mom will have a conniption!" Peeta frowned at his brother's words, even though he knew Rye was right.

Adelaide Mellark had never been one to abide lateness or any other behavior that she deemed "unsuitable." Her rules and expectations were the law in the Mellark household, and her retributions for breaking them were usually severe. Peeta cringed as an onslaught of memories centering on a thousand different punishments meted out at his mother's hands came into his head. He had always been the worst offender in her eyes, so much so, that Peeta had largely given up trying to please her years ago, but he still didn't think it was a good idea to set his mother off the first night he'd been in Panem in four years.

He hopped off his seat and hauled down two large boxes from atop the truck, not bothering to check if the contents were fragile or not. Peeta didn't care about baking in general but especially certainly not _this _place. He planned on avoiding it as much as possible while he was here.

"Where do you want them, Rye?" he asked as he walked inside, his breath catching in his throat at the sight of the shop.

Everything looked the same, from the giant carefully labeled chalk board on the wall listing the prices for different items as well as the day's specials, to the large glass cases that displayed the bakery's goods, to the polished marble countertop between them with two antique cash registers on either end. Peeta felt his heart constrict painfully and a small lump formed in his throat.

Rye strode out brusquely from behind the counter, snorting out a derisive laugh when he saw the look on Peeta's face. "Dad and I have done a pretty good job with this place, haven't we?" Rye said pointedly. Peeta nodded his head, knowing that what his brother was really trying to say that they didn't need _him_ to run the bakery. He lifted up the boxes in his arms.

"Where do these go?"

Rye gave him another sour look. "Stop showing off how much you can carry. Just put them in the back by the bins. Think you'd at least remember that, idiot." Peeta watched as his brother stalked out the door to get more of the goods before he made his way to the back. He set the boxes down and let out another heavy sigh. Rye's behavior wasn't exactly surprising, even if it was a little disheartening.

Rye was three years older than him, and though they had never gotten along particularly well, their relationship had improved for a time during Peeta's high school years. But it had quickly spoiled again when Peeta had announced he would be going to live in the city with their oldest brother, Bannock, four years ago.

They had spent the intervening time period in grim silence, stilted pleasantries during holiday visits aside. But ever since Peeta had announced he was moving back home from the Capitol, Rye had been lumbering around with poorly concealed rage. Why that was, Peeta wasn't exactly sure, but he'd hoped Rye would come around once they got here. He'd at least grudgingly agreed to help Peeta move his things back to Mellark House. Judging by Rye's behavior in the last few minutes, the thaw had been only temporary.

"You ok, Peeta? Rye says this is the last of it," a soft voice asked him. He looked up to see Annie leaning against the doorframe with another box in her hands, her auburn hair a tangled mess, and her forest green eyes alight with concern.

Peeta ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "Yeah. Rye's just being...Well, Rye. Nothing surprising there." Annie stacked her box on top of one of Peeta's own before turning to give him a gentle hug.

"He'll come around, you'll see. I don't think there's a single person we know who doesn't like you," she said, letting go of him with a sweet smile.

"If only that were true," Peeta laughed hollowly, helpless against the images now floating in his head. He saw his mother, his father, Rye, and… Peeta gritted his teeth and shook his head violently. He was not willing to relive those memories while the sun still shone in the sky. _That_ lonely path, full of longing and rejection, was reserved for the deepest night, when he could use the darkness as a shield against pain, a cloak to protect him in the face of an uncaring family and shallow life.

"It's going to be ok. I know it, Peeta." He startled as Annie squeezed his arm lightly to bring him back to himself, and he gave her a pained smile for her trouble. It was astonishing to him that Annie could say that, given what she had been through.

"Yeah," he answered without any enthusiasm. He wasn't sure what else to say, but the sound of loud frantic car horn saved him from having to answer more. He glanced up at the clock and swore, "Shit, we are going to be late. Catch Rye; he'll leave you if you don't go now. I'll lock up here." Annie gave him a slightly frightened look.

"What about you?" she trembled.

Peeta just rolled his eyes. "It wouldn't be a normal day if I didn't disappoint Mom somehow. This is par for the course," he said with a bitter laugh and shoved Annie towards the door.

**XXXXX**

Peeta brought his motorcycle to a screeching halt in front of his family's mansion. He ripped off his helmet and let out a loud curse as he accidentally sent it flying into one of the fastidiously landscaped bushes that lined the entrance way. He jumped off the bike to search for it, sparing barely a glance at the four elegant white columns lining the front that were designed to give the house an Old World feel.

When Peeta was eight, his mother had decided that the modest house near the bakery that Mellarks had lived in as long as anyone could remember was unbefitting of their family's wealth and status. Peeta's father had acquiesced to her, as he always did, and Mellark House had been the result.

She had hired the best available architects to help her plan the place out, from its eight bedrooms and eleven baths, to the gracious balconies that overlooked the estate. The grand entrance opened to a cast bronze double staircase illuminated by a 19th Century stained-glass skylight. Any amenity one could think of had been included in the design, including a pool, Jacuzzi, sauna, tennis court, theater, gym, kitchens, bakery, and even a Koi pond. Sprawling lawns with carefully manicured flower beds, bushes, and trees abruptly gave way to a low cliff, where a hidden stair could be found that led to a private beach below.

The estate was truly a wonder of modern architecture, grand by design, beautiful and imposing in its excess. It was a white beacon amongst the greenery and blowing sands, a herald to all comers of what the Mellark family had wrought through their endeavors.

But for his part, Peeta found the place oppressive and sterile; he still missed the small but bright house of his early childhood days. The only hamlets in this mansion that Peeta had enjoyed were in the kitchens and bakery, along with his bedroom, the only room that was truly his own. Overall though, from the time they had moved there until the time he had left, Peeta had spent as much time as possible away from the place, forever fleeing the icy chill that emanated from its heart.

"You're late, Peeta," a biting voice snapped at him just as he pulled his headgear out from the underbrush. He looked up to meet his mother's glacial blue eyes as she gazed down upon him. She wore a midnight-blue evening gown over her thin frame, and her straw-colored hair was drawn into a bun, accentuating the pinched look of distaste on her face. She crossed her arms over her chest to underscore her already obvious displeasure.

"I apologize," he uttered in an even tone, knowing she would not listen to any explanation he gave. Peeta pressed his lips into a thin line against the criticism he knew was coming as his mother's face hardened in anger.

"Since you have just returned to our home, I will grant you a pass this once. Your only punishment will be that no one is allowed to help you bring in that trunk of junk you had Rye bring home." She gave him a deadly glare, but Peeta did not react, his face arranged into a long-practiced expression of neutrality, the tightening of his fists the only hint that he was disturbed by her words. "However, if you do not show up when you are expected to next time, you will not be allowed into the house until you have made amends." He nodded his acquiescence, having learned long ago that fewer words were better when it came to his interactions with her. Peeta only wished she would have banned him from supper instead, but they both knew he would see that as a blessing.

He held in his breath as she scanned him up and down before turning to the door before adding "Change your clothing. You look terrible, and you know I taught you better. When you are presentable, you may eat dinner with your family. Your father, brother, and I are in the small dining room."

Peeta watched after her, only exhaling when he was sure she was beyond hearing range. The fact that she did not mention Annie did not escape his notice.

**XXXXX**

The hard-backed wooden chair creaked stiffly in protest as Peeta shifted uncomfortably in his seat and glanced surreptitiously around the table. Between his mother's offended look and Rye's glowering, the dinner was becoming horrendously awkward even by his family's low standards. It was almost enough to make Peeta regret insisting that Annie join the meal.

After Peeta had changed into a dress shirt, slacks, and tie, he had immediately searched the cavernous house for Annie, rightly presuming that she had not been invited to dinner. She had, of course, protested that she had nothing appropriate to wear, but Peeta asserted that it wouldn't matter. None of the family was that cold, he'd told her; they all knew what had happened to her belongings. _But you were wrong_, he thought.

Anger coursed through him again as he recalled the reception he and Annie had received upon walking into the elegant formal dining room.

Peeta's mother had given Annie's green summer dress and loose hand-knitted shawl a glance of disdain before she had stomped away to the table without a word. Her insulted expression had not left her face yet. Rye, of course, hadn't even spared Annie a solitary look. He had only glared at Peeta, eyes blazing with clear anger at Peeta's defiance of their mother's will. Only his sallow-faced, slightly haggard looking father had greeted them both with a murmured welcome and weak embraces before shuffling to his seat. He hadn't said a word since then, and Peeta was left to marvel, not for the first time, how a man so adept at running a massive food corporation quailed under his wife's beady-eyed gaze. Peeta had directed Annie to the seat next to him and silence had ruled the table ever since.

Peeta reached a hand up to loosen his tie, only for his skin to stipple with goose bumps. He'd always had an innate ability to sense when his mother was watching him. He quickly lowered his arm and resumed playing with his Foie de Veau à la Lyonnaise, not even trying to hide that he hadn't eaten any of it. The French chef the Mellarks had on retainer usually provided mostly edible meals, but Peeta drew the line at calf liver.

"How was the bakery today, Rye?" Peeta's father suddenly asked in a mild voice, but Peeta still jumped. Even Rich Mellark's soft tone sounded like a trumpet after the ceaseless quiet of the past hour.

"Fine," his brother said bluntly. "There was a good rush in the morning, and then slow for the rest of the day. Hopefully, we won't lose any customers who were upset I had to close early." Peeta laughed before he could stop himself. "What's so funny?" Rye asked, his brown eyes ablaze with light from the crystal chandelier above their heads.

Peeta gave him a crooked grin. "The bakery has been there over 150 years, Rye," he explained. "One day isn't going to hurt anything. I think people get that our lives don't revolve around bread all the time."

"Just _most_ of it," his father said with an ironic laugh, his eyes twinkling with amusement. Peeta's smirk widened; it was rare that he made his father smile, much less laugh.

"I hardly think that's amusing, Richard. Rye is exactly right."

Peeta's grin faded as he watched his father crumble under the irritated look of his wife, bowing his head in deference to her, leading Peeta to grimace with exasperation. Some things never changed.

"I expect you to help Rye in the bakery this summer, Peeta. He will be interviewing candidates to run the bakery in preparation for when he leaves next year." Peeta's head snapped up in surprise, his body suddenly tense with anger. He didn't like being reminded that his family thought him unworthy of running even one small aspect of their family's business.

"I already told you and Dad that I didn't want to work in the bakery, Mother. And Dad will be there anyways, as always." He glanced at his father before quickly looking away, trying to ignore the desperate feeling of sadness welling inside him.

"What else are you going to do then? You refused to start in the MBA program even though Dean Crane graciously said he would allow you in. You wouldn't do the internship with Senator Coin. You won't even participate in any of the country club's activities," she snorted out. "I will not tolerate any of the unscrupulous behavior you demonstrated last month. I will not allow you to embarrass this family again."

Peeta's jaw clenched and he balled his hands into fists under the table, willing himself to keep his calm. If his refusal to do _that_ was what embarrassed her, he really would have to find something to do this summer. His mother was undoubtedly going to try again. "I'll find something to occupy my time," he said in an even tone.

His mother snorted scornfully. "I demand you work. You will not be lazy just because you are home. And by the way, painting does not count. I think we've indulged that hobby long enough," she said with an air of finality that Peeta didn't bother to acknowledge, instead staring hard at the congealed meat on his plate.

"As for _you_, I expect better." Peeta looked up in horror as he realized his mother was addressing Annie. He watched her shrink into her chair under his mother's hateful gaze. "Those clothes are a disgrace, and I shudder to think what Rye's Octavia would have thought of such an outfit. Between Peeta's inability to arrive on time and your appearance, I just thank _God_ we did not invite her over tonight as we had planned." She paused to give Peeta a cold look before returning to look at Annie. "We are graciously allowing you to live here; act like you appreciate it. You may come from poor stock but even you should have better manners."

"Y-yes, ma'am," Annie whispered. Peeta could see she was shaking all over, her eyes filling to the brim with tears.

"Good. You are dismissed."

Annie gave Peeta one terrified look before she fled out the entrance hall and towards the back doors. He watched her run past the windows, her small form flickering in the shadowy light of the torches that lined the pool, before he rose to follow after her, pausing only to address his mother.

"You remember what she lost in that fire, right Mother?" he asked her, her callousness shocking even to him. She stared up at him with black, unforgiving eyes.

"It's no excuse."

**XXXXX**

"Hey, you ok?" Peeta asked. He sat down next to Annie's trembling form on the sand as she watched the waves roll upon the shore. He pretended not to see her wiping the tears from her cheeks, knowing she wouldn't want him drawing attention to it. "Took me awhile to find you," he asserted. Annie nodded but didn't say anything more. Peeta didn't really expect her to.

They both stared out over the water, bearing witness to the last orange-red rays of the sun as it slipped beneath the horizon. Peeta struggled not to think of other, happier, times he had spent on this beach, reminding himself of the likelihood that they would never happen again. He was sure there had been too many mistakes, too much pain.

"I'm glad you live on the ocean." Peeta turned towards her as Annie's timid voice broke him out of his reverie. "It reminds me of home," she said with a small smile, which Peeta matched with one of his own.

"That was the only thing I was happy about when we moved here," he answered. "Living in town was great, but you can't beat being able to come down here for a getaway to clear your head," he said with a sigh. Annie looked at him sadly.

"Is...is she always like that?"

"Always," Peeta answered. He didn't need Annie to specify who _she_ was.

"It's just…She was so sweet to me at the funeral," lamented Annie.

Peeta snorted. "Well, that's because she was out in public. She can't have anyone outside the immediate family thinking she's anything but perfect, now can she? As you witnessed at dinner, appearances are _very_ important to mom," he said sarcastically, but then he winked.

Annie gave him a questioning smile. "Why do you look happy about that?" Peeta grinned.

"Because lucky you, other than the horrible dinners we'll have to be at occasionally 'for appearance's sake', I guarantee she'll ignore us. She likes to pretend I don't exist as a general rule. You should have lived here my last year of high school. I think I can count on one hand, the times she spoke to me outside of the public sphere. I'd say it was our happiest year as mother and son," he said, letting out a long sigh. "I am...so terribly sorry about the way she acted towards you though."

Annie shook her head. "It's not your fault. I'll figure out a way to get the things she expects me to wear."

"Don't worry about it. I'll pay for anything you need."

"Won't you get in trouble?" Annie looked at him worriedly, but Peeta just smirked.

"Nope. Not like my mother has made any of our money. Mom has her inheritance, of course, but other than that, it's all Dad's. I guessing Mom has tried to get him to cut me off when I don't toe the family line, but she hasn't succeeded yet," he grinned. "She doesn't have a reason to complain, really. I haven't bought any of the ridiculous things Rye and Bannock did when they were allowed into their trust funds."

Peeta smiled as Annie let out a laugh. "Does Rye still have the sailboat? Even though doesn't like the ocean? I remember you telling me about it when he bought that."

"Yeah. "Peeta nodded his head towards the dock a hundred yards away, where he could just make out a boat bobbing gently on the water. "I'm honestly not sure if he remembers that he owns it. I took it out more often than he ever did, though I'm certainly not the best sailor. You should have seen what my friend, Finnick, could-" Peeta cut himself off abruptly, pain erupting within him over his slip-up. He watched Annie's brow furrow in confusion. "Well anyways," he continued hastily. "I'm sure we can take it out this summer if that's something you want to do. We have to get away from my mother somehow," he joked.

"You really think she would approve of you sailing all day when you could be participating in those country club activities?" Annie said with a playful nudge, earning a laugh from Peeta.

"Hah, yeah. Spending the entire summer playing cricket, golf and God knows what else with a bunch of snobby assholes while my mother tries to set me up with 'girls of appropriate status.' Think I'll pass."

Annie looked at him sympathetically. "She made it sound like you refusing to accompany that girl to that party was the worst thing you had ever done."

"Eh…my 'unscrupulous behavior' last month is just one in a long line." Peeta shrugged. "I think 'you've embarrassed the family' is her favorite line. Believe me when I say tonight was one of her milder reactions. I've done far worse in her eyes." Peeta scowled at his own words and the long-repressed memories that once again threatened to invade his mind.

"Like insisting that the presence of your poor cousin in your family's home wouldn't tarnish their reputations?" Annie said with an affectionate look. Peeta smiled at her.

"Even worse."

Annie sighed. "I know." She looked at him sorrowfully, prompting Peeta to look away, wishing to hide his pain.

They fell quiet as the darkness descended upon them, and a thousand glittering stars painted themselves across the sky. Peeta could hear the sea gently lapping onto the beach under the power of a balmy breeze. It ruffled Peeta's hair and ghosted across his face, feeling like the heated caress of someone's hand. He ran his own over the sand, still warm from the sun's rays, and felt himself transported to a different time, when a different girl had sat beside him on these shores.

Peeta could still see her chocolate hair spread out like a halo around her head, her olive skin a stark contrast to the white sand beneath her. He could taste the salt from the water on her skin as his lips moved over her body. He could feel her, his skin even now tingling with the remembrance of her solid form moving in time with his, a sensuous dance meant only for them to share. And he heard her cries echoing in his ears as her arms wrapped around him, an anchor tethering him to the earth as their melded souls flew high.

Tears pricked at the edges of Peeta's eyes, at the memory so sweet in recollection, and the knowledge that he would not have such a connection with another again. He knew that girl was long gone, and thus, it wasn't good for Peeta to think about such things. At least, that's what he told himself every day.

"What are we going to do?" Annie asked, breaking the silence. "Even if you do expect her to ignore us, I doubt it'll go beyond her notice if we just go sailing every day. I don't think she'll see that as work." Peeta blew out a puff of air, attempting to drag himself from his melancholy. His mother's demand from dinner rang in his ears, and he realized Annie was right. Even Peeta knew he could only get away with so much, and this was not a battle he felt like fighting.

He looked around, as though expecting the answer to jump up in front of him, and noticed a solitary twinkling light far down the beach, well past the Mellark's property line. His eyes lit up with excitement. _Haymitch. _Peeta turned back to Annie with a broad smile on his face.

"How would you feel about doing something that technically meets Mom's demands but would really piss her off? Annie looked at him warily.

"What do you have in mind?"

**XXXXX **

"This is the place?" Annie asked, confusion evident in her voice.

"Yep. I know it doesn't look like much, but I promise it's the best," Peeta said happily. He looked around the crowded lot for a parking space, spotting one near the back, and pulled the truck into it. As they got out of the vehicle, Peeta looked up to study the large decrepit looking shack, noting with great satisfaction that nothing looked different.

Twinkling white Christmas lights wrapped around the rails and along the top of the porch, guarding several mismatched chairs scattered along the floor. The windows were hazy, so dirty in some places that the light emanating from within could not shine through. The thin wooden slats that made up the structure's walls were splintered, bruised and beaten to a light grey color by the elements that occasionally battered the coastal town. The thatched roof had a hole on one side, and Peeta knew once he stepped inside that there would be a water-bucket in the corner. A ragged looking sign with _The Mockingjay_ labeled on it in peeling gold letters swung slightly on its hinges as the wind came in from the beach. Peeta couldn't help but grin as the sound of raucous laughter reached his ears.

His uncle's bar was considered an eyesore by some in the community but many more liked its presence. The young frequented it because Haymitch was known for his laxity, within reason, when it came carding I.D.s. Older locals liked it because Haymitch kept his mouth shut when it came to their secrets. And tourists and other visitors were always drawn to the lively energy that radiated from within the building, no matter how rundown it looked. But what Peeta liked best about it was that it was one of the few places in Panem where a person's wealth or status didn't generally matter. All were welcomed with equal joy into the melting pot of humanity that congregated there. Peeta finally felt a little like he was home.

He looked at Annie and nodded his head towards the open door. "Come on. We need to catch Haymitch before he's too far gone and goes to bed. Trust me when I say he is not a morning person." Annie looked at him with a nervous expression.

"You promise we won't have to be here long?"

Peeta laughed loudly. "Yes. And as I told you on the way over here, Haymitch doesn't put up with much. He'll have cleared out the majority of the creeps by now, but if you really need to, just remember what I told you to do while we were in the truck," he said with a wink.

"Ok," Annie sighed softly, trailing along after Peeta as he walked through the door.

Peeta paused just as he passed the threshold, allowing the familiar scent of alcohol, sweat, and the sea to fill his nostrils. Various chairs and tables were scattered about the floor between the columns that held up the roof while several roomy booths lined the walls. A pair of pool tables ran along the back, illuminated by low-hanging light fixtures. The building was packed tonight, though Peeta could just make out a door in the corner that he knew would lead to Haymitch's office. But he knew his uncle wouldn't be there.

He squinted around, trying to find Haymitch's straw-like hair amongst the crowd before he finally gave up, knowing whoever was bartending tonight would likely know where he was. "Come on," he murmured to Annie, as they fought their way through the mass of bodies to the massive bar that covered one entire wall. It could never be said that Haymitch didn't like his alcohol.

Peeta maneuvered into an empty space on the far end of the bar and waited for the bartender to make his way over to them, grinning when he saw Darius was working tonight. The thin man with flaming red hair had been his brother, Bannock's, friend when they were young, so Peeta knew him fairly well.

"What'll it be for ya?" Darius asked lazily, barely sparing Peeta a glance before he transferred his gaze to Annie. Peeta couldn't hold in his laugh, unsurprised at Darius' disinterest in someone who wasn't female.

"How about a Peacekeeper?

"Are ya sure, mate?" Darius questioned, turning back towards Peeta's way. "That's like the cheapest beer on the planet. Gives you the worst hangover you can imagine and tastes like...Holy shit! Peeta!"

Peeta began to laugh as Darius' mouth fell open, saying, "Well, I just thought I should get it to honor my first experience with beer. You and Bannock were ever so kind to get it for me." Darius snorted with his own laugh.

"Served you and your punk-ass friends right. You were what, fourteen? I don't think even Rye dared to ask us to get anything for him til he was sixteen."

Peeta shrugged, laughing even harder at the memory, thankful that thinking of his friends didn't hurt for once. "I learned that lesson well. I don't think I got out of bed the next day, had to lie to my parents about catching the flu."

"Ha, yeah. That was what I felt like the first time I had that crap too. Here's some far less shitty beer. On the house." Peeta nodded his thanks as Darius grabbed two bottles from under the counter and slid them Peeta's way. He looked over Peeta curiously. "How's Bannock been? Scratch that. How have _you_ been? Rye comes in here all the time, but I haven't heard him mention you. Last time you were in here, you were with-"

"Actually," Peeta interrupted him hastily. "Have you seen my uncle? I wanted to say hello and let him know I was back in town."

"Oh. Sure," Darius replied, laughing again. "Sorry. Should have realized you'd want to see him. He's over there." Peeta followed Darius' pointed finger to where Haymitch was seated at a table near the wall, observing his patrons with a keen eye.

"Some things never change, do they?" Peeta said with amusement.

"No, they do not," Darius answered, but then a rather serious expression crept onto his face as he scanned Peeta's own.. "But some things do," he said slowly.

Peeta gave him a small smile but did not acknowledge Darius' words beyond that. Instead, he beckoned Annie to follow him, and they made their way over to Haymitch's location They reached the table just in time to witness Haymitch down some sort of amber liquid. "Hey, Uncle Haymitch," he said, smiling down at one of the few people he knew cared about him.

Haymitch looked up at him with slight surprise, his longish blonde hair falling down to frame a slightly haggard face covered in patchy scruff, his blue eyes bleary but focused, much to Peeta's relief. "I was wondering when you'd turn up, boy. You're brother has been in rare form tonight so I knew you must have gotten home." Peeta followed Haymitch's nod towards a table where Rye and a bunch of his friends were gathered. While the rest of the group was laughing and talking, he saw that Rye was just staring moodily at table, taking long swigs of his large beer. Peeta sighed heavily, pulled out a chair for Annie, and took a seat of his own.

"Think he's just scared I'm going to try to take over the bakery," Peeta said, not entirely believing his explanation. Haymitch bobbed his head thoughtfully, but his raised brows suggested to Peeta that he didn't buy that either. His uncle was drunk half the time but underneath his shabby exterior, Peeta knew Haymitch was quite perceptive and shrewd. There was a reason The Mockingjay was still here after so many years. He decided it was time to switch the topic.

"This is Annie," he said, smiling across the table at his cousin as she jumped in her chair. Peeta was sure she thought she'd been forgotten about, quiet as she liked to be.

"Well, missy, I've heard about you from Peeta. It's nice to finally put a face to the name," Haymitch said, extending a hand across the table. Annie took it timidly and offered up a tiny smile, which prompted Haymitch to let out a bark of laughter. "Don't look at me like that; I don't bite. You can think of me as your old, bitter uncle too. S'far as I'm concerned, we're family."

"Thank you, sir," Annie said, her smile widening slightly, but there was a certain sadness to her expression. Peeta watched his uncle's face soften as he too noticed her sorrowful eyes.

"I was sorry to hear about your parents, girl," said Haymitch gruffly. "I only met them once, many years ago, but I remember they were good people. My brother-in-law and sister were wrong to shut them out like they did, though I'm sorry to say it's not much of a surprise." Haymitch laughed bitterly for a second and took another chug of his drink before continuing. "But if you need somethin,' I'll do what I can. This place is always open to you." Peeta noticed his eyes shift to him as he finished speaking.

Annie finally gave them a genuine smile, but Peeta could see the tears shining in her eyes. She excused herself to go to the restroom, and Peeta watched her go with a frown, his heart breaking for her over what she had lost.

"How much of a bitch was your mother to her tonight?" Haymitch asked him in a suddenly weary voice.

"Bad." Peeta began to pick at a spot of paint on the table. "Mom's going to crush her, Haymitch. Annie's fragile right now, and she hasn't experienced anything like Mom. Her mother actually loved her," he said in a voice laced with worry. He looked up to find his uncle surveying him, an unfathomable look on his face. "You're still running the beaches right? Let me and Annie guard for you this summer. I'm certified, and Annie grew up on the ocean. We won't need a lot of training."

"And how exactly does that improve the situation, Peeta?" Haymitch asked with some skepticism.

"Well, it gives us a legitimate excuse to leave the house on a daily basis and fulfills Mom's demands that I work this summer. Add in the bonus that she will to be so pissed at me for working for you that she won't have the energy to think about Annie, and we have a perfect recipe for success," he shrugged.

Haymitch shook his head at him, laughing a little. "You're one of a kind, kid. She's probably gonna hunt me down and kill me for it, but sure, you both can be guards. Saves me the trouble of having to find three guards anyways. One roster position is a lot easier to fill." He then gave Peeta an oddly calculating look. "So no quitting on me."

Peeta looked at him quizzically. "Why would I quit?"

Haymitch looked at him carefully for a second, his tankard hovering in mid-air, appearing as though he was assessing something but what that was, Peeta didn't know. "Just remember this is a favor to you, nephew," he said cantankerously. "Your word that you won't quit?"

Peeta stared at him for a second, fully aware that Haymitch hadn't answered his question, trying to understand the meaning behind his uncle's words. But Haymitch was now busy chugging down his drink, and Peeta gleaned that the conversation was over. "Yeah, I promise," he replied reluctantly. Peeta had the strange feeling that he was signing up for more than just life-guarding the often times tumultuous shores of Panem by agreeing to Haymitch's request.

They sat in companionable silence after that, allowing Peeta's mind to wander. He looked over the hazy room, his heart filled with a range of conflicting emotions.

The Mockingjay had always been a refuge when he was young, when the weight of his family's expectations became too much to bear, back when he still _tried_ to meet them. He remembered his first day here long ago, driven by fear of his mother's wrath, for some crime he didn't remember, to the very relative whose existence she vehemently denied. Haymitch had taken him in without a second thought that night, managing to stay sober for the occasion of meeting his nephew for the first time. And he'd driven him home the next day, staying at the gate just long enough to make sure Peeta got inside. Peeta didn't know it at the time, but his mother likely would have called the police had she spotted Haymitch outside. She hated her brother that much.

Peeta tightened his hand around his bottle, recalling the anguish he felt when his mother had said he hadn't been missed. He was only eight, and his family, particularly his mother, had still been the center of his world. The crushing heartbreak of her words had only been tempered by Peeta's newfound determination to make her happy, to make them all happy. Peeta had never succeeded and had only given up that desire to please his family after it had cost him more than he ever could have imagined. He wasn't the only one who had made mistakes, certainly, but he'd been the only one who'd left. Peeta bowed his head shamefully.

"P-please don't. I-I have a boyfriend! He's right over t-there! S-s-stop." Peeta startled as he heard Annie's trembling voice reach his ears. He had told her what she could tell people tonight if she didn't want to be approached.

Peeta looked up to see her standing several feet away in front of the bar's largest table where it was tucked into a corner. She was pointing her finger towards him with a terrified look on her face as a balding overweight man who was easily twenty years older backed her up against the wall.

He sprung up out of his seat, as did Haymitch, hearing the older man mutter, "Ah, shit. I forgot we hadn't kicked Cray out yet tonight. Fucking disgusting man." Peeta reached Annie in two long strides and ripped the man off her.

"What the fuck?" the man cried out, shoving Peeta backwards into the table. He heard several drinks fall over, but he didn't turn around to apologize, too angry to be bothered by some spilt beer.

"The believe the lady said no," Peeta said, cold fury lacing his tone.

The man sneered at him, his chest puffing up like an adder that had been threatened. "That's just what women say. They always want it, boy. I don't think your girl is any different," he taunted. Peeta stepped forward, his hands balling into fists, but before he was anywhere near the man, his uncle slid in front of him and grabbed the man by the collar of his shirt.

"They always want it, eh?" Haymitch thundered. "Well, Cray, I'll show you what _I_ want." Peeta's mouth fell open as his uncle dragged Cray across the floor towards the door, the man's arms and legs flailing about like he was drowning in the sea. At the threshold, he hoisted the man off his feet to throw him down the steps. "Stay the fuck out of my place, you bastard," Haymitch called out loudly.

For a moment, the bar was completely silent as they all watched Haymitch turn around, but then wild cheers and clapping erupted from the crowd. Peeta watched as his uncle made his way back over to him and Annie, grimacing every time he got a slap on the back or someone shoved themselves in his path to shake his hand. It brought a smile to Peeta's face. Though he was often in the spotlight, Haymitch never enjoyed it.

"T-thank you, Haymitch," Annie said in a still shaking voice.

"Don't worry about it, girl. Shoulda done it years ago," Haymitch muttered, but Peeta saw that his eyes were soft as he looked at her. He turned to Peeta, saying, "You all right, boy?" Peeta was about to respond when he noticed Haymitch's eyes light up with something akin to alarm, his gaze focused on something over Peeta's shoulder.

Peeta turned around slowly and came to a dead halt, his heartbeat suddenly booming in his chest like a drum, at the sight before him. It was like he was staring at a past life. They were all there, sitting around the table… _their table_… Peeta now realized.

Johanna.

Finnick.

Delly.

Madge.

Gale.

And…

_Katniss. _

Peeta felt all the color drain from his face as he looked at her. She wore a yellow sundress, which clung to her frame, the top portion conforming to her breasts to reveal just a hint of cleavage. Her hair fell down in waves around her face, the angles of which had sharpened slightly with age. Her mouth was drawn into a scowl and her luminous grey eyes were a raging storm, but to Peeta, she was still the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. He gasped as the tidal wave of pain that he'd tried to keep at bay for four years crashed through him, a thousand different memories of the times they'd spent together flooding his mind.

He was so stunned that he barely registered Johanna standing up, a full pitcher of beer in her hand. "So nice of you to finally come home, Bread Boy," she said. Then, she emptied the entire container of liquid onto his head.

**Author's Note: I will post pictures of the mansion Mellark House is modeled after on my tumblr, should anyone wish to see it. Hope you liked the chapter!**


	3. Interlude I

**This is not Chapter 3! And I do sincerely apologize that it isn't. This drabble is actually something I just posted to my tumblr for the Everlark Drabble Challenge, but I decided to make it TWWW oriented. Specifically, it is a preview of well, the way Katniss and Peeta were before their long separation came about, and I hint of things to come. You all have waited so long that I thought I'd post this here as well, as an assurance that yes, I am still working on this story, and as thank you for your patience.  
**

**I was challenged by Titania522, and the prompt was "Don't Get Me Wrong."  
**

16 years old

"You're sure no one is home?" Katniss asked Peeta a little nervously. She'd been in the Mellark's mansion many times, but she rarely felt comfortable unless they were in his room or down on the beach. It never ceased to amaze Katniss how different Peeta was from the rest of his family when it came to how he interacted with those of 'lesser social status'...people like her.

Of Peeta's family members, only Rye treated her like an actual human being, but he was busy with school these days and couldn't really be bothered to talk to a little high school junior like herself. Bannock, on the rare occasions he came home from the Capitol, usually ignored her and Mr. Mellark rarely afforded her anything more than a nod. But Mrs. Mellark always glared at Katniss like she was a dangerous insect that she wished to stomp on. Peeta constantly reminded her her that was how Adelaide Mellark looked at everyone, so much so that Katniss had stopped bringing it up to him years ago, but Katniss always got the feeling his mother's animosity towards her ran deeper than simply general dislike.

Peeta nodded his head to reassure her. "Rye's over at Panem with his friends. Dad is at the bakery, and then he has a conference call that he said would run late. Mom went up to the Capitol to see Bannock and do some shopping." He smirked at her. "Like I told you the first four times you asked when we were at school."

"I know, Peeta," Katniss huffed out. "But I'd rather not have your mother make me feel like I'm some trampy Seam girl, whose only objective in life is to get her son's money somehow."

"Kat, we've been over this," Peeta said calmly, bringing his hands up to cup her cheeks in his warm hands. He tilted her head upwards so that Katniss couldn't avoid his piercing blue gaze, and her whole body began to tremble as he caressed her face. "Don't believe anything my mother thinks. You've been my best friend since we were five years old; I know that's not how you are. Last night was the best night of my entire life, and I'm not letting my mother or anyone else take that away from us." He placed a gentle kiss on Katniss' mouth that still somehow managed to spread such warmth through her body that Katniss felt like she was on fire. She let out a soft mewl of protestation when he pulled away only a second later, already missing the feel of his lips on her own. "Come on," he said with a smile, entwining her hand in his own.

Katniss followed Peeta up the stairs to his bedroom, memories of the previous night flashing through her mind. After so many years of loving him, too scared to confess her feelings for fear of losing him if he didn't feel the same and of what his family might think if they were together, the dam had finally broken with Peeta's confession. Now the only regret Katniss had was that they had wasted so much time already.

CRACK!

Katniss jumped, her thoughts shattering like the lamp that Peeta had just knocked off his desk onto the floor. She stared at him incredulously while Peeta looked at her sheepishly. "No one ever accused me of having the ability to move quietly, right?" he asked.

Katniss bit her lip to hold back a laugh as she swiftly moved across the room, quiet as a mouse, until she was standing only an inch from him. She placed her hands on his chest and felt his heart begin to pound beneath her fingertips. Katniss stretched up so that she could ghost her lips along the shell of his ear. "Nope," she whispered. Then, Katniss pulled his mouth down to hers for an open-mouthed kiss.

Katniss ran her hands up into Peeta's hair, loving the way his soft waves flowed between her fingers, while his own strong arms came up around her to hold Katniss tightly to him. Their tongues massaged each other, intertwining together in a sinuous erotic courtship. With each stroke, Katniss felt ribbons of heat lick through her body straight into her core, the sensations so powerful that she felt her knees begin to weaken under the onslaught.

Katniss had spent years dreaming of what doing this with Peeta would feel like and now that she had him, she knew even her wildest fantasies didn't compare to the real thing. With each passing second, her desire for him for was stoked higher. Katniss ran one hand down Peeta's body and cupped the bulge, obvious even through his stiff jeans.

Peeta pulled back from her with a gasp, but Katniss did not remove her hand. "Katniss, I don't…" He trailed off with a groan and closed his eyes as Katniss began to stroke him, his chest began to rise and fall with growing rapidity as Katniss felt his cock swell under her ministrations. She increased the pace, and Peeta started to rock gently against her hand, but a moment later, he clasped her wrist in one of his own. Katniss looked up at him in confusion.

"I don't expect anything, Katniss. I...you don't have to do anything," Peeta said, his blue eyes sincere even as their darkness betrayed his desire for her.

Katniss removed her hand from him and took a step back, almost laughing when she saw Peeta's face fall before he ducked his head in attempt to hide his disappointment. Katniss ripped her shirt off over her head. "Look at me," she demanded. Peeta raised his head, his eyes going wide when he saw what she had removed. Sure that he was now watching her, Katniss unbuttoned her jeans and slid out of them, thankful that today, she had decided to wear the one pair of pretty black lace panties she owned.

She glanced at Peeta, her stomach jolting under the hungry look now on his face. Katniss took a deep breath, steeling herself for what she wanted to do next. She knew what she wanted but going past this point with her best friend, for the first time, was always going to be a little daunting. "You ain't seen nothing yet," she said coyly in an attempt to hide what she was feeling.

She reached around to unclasp her bra, and then slowly shrugged it down her arms, never breaking eye contact with Peeta as she did so. Katniss felt her nipples harden in the cool air as she tossed the bra to the side, expecting Peeta to say something. But Peeta said nothing, his eyes sweeping up and down her body in studied silence.

But for Katniss, the quiet was too much to take, and she lowered her eyes to the floor, bringing her arms up to shield her breasts from his gaze. She was suddenly certain, at least in her own head, that Glimmer or Clove or any number of other girls had offered this sight to him before her. And Katniss knew she was infinitely plain compared to any of them. She flinched when Peeta's shoes came into her periphery.

"Kat, please look at me." Peeta took her hands in his own and drew them away from her body. Katniss looked up at him in trepidation but found only warmth in his eyes. "I love you, Katniss. I'm so in love with you. And this…" he gestured up and down her body. "This is more than I ever thought I'd get with you. We don't have to go any farther tonight if you don't want to." Katniss mouth fell open, thinking she should protest that this was something she desperately wanted, but her insecurities still held sway within her. "We don't ever have to go any farther unless you're ready. I'll wait," Peeta said with a determined smile.

Katniss sighed, feeling overwhelmed by his offer. Here they were, Katniss stripped down to her underwear...and Peeta was still giving her an out if she wanted it. It was a sign of how well her, understood her, but also just another in a long line of examples of his goodness. Katniss supposed, after knowing him for nearly twelve years, that it shouldn't surprise her anymore when Peeta demonstrated his penchant for kindness, especially towards her, but it astounded her nonetheless. Katniss finally felt the dam of fears within her heart burst, and she felt as light as the seabirds that wheeled in the sky after a summer storm.

Katniss looked up at him and cupped his cheek in her hand. "I think I could live a hundred lifetimes and still never deserve you," she whispered.

Peeta turned his head slightly, so that her palm met his lips, which sent a hard thrill streaking towards her still throbbing center. But it wasn't enough to distract Katniss away from seeing the questioning wonder in his eyes. It hurt a little, that he could still doubt her feelings even a miniscule amount, but given the position she'd been in last night, the catalyst for their confessions, it didn't shock her that he still was struggling to accept that all of this was real.

Katniss ran her hands up his chest and began unbuttoning his shirt, smirking at the way Peeta's eye kept widening the further down she worked. By the time Katniss finished and was pushing Peeta's shirt off of him, his eyebrows had disappeared into the locks of hair that fell across his forehead. She smoothed the waves away before tenderly placing a kiss over his heart. She could feel it pounding erratically beneath her lips. "This is real, Peeta," Katniss whispered as she placed kisses along his well-defined pecs. Peeta had always been toned but joining the wrestling team two years ago had wrought new changes to his body that Katniss was only now beginning to appreciate . "And this is real," she said, boldly licking over one of his nipples.

"Katniss," Peeta groaned, exhaling a large puff of air. Katniss smirked at him again.

"Do you want me to stop?" she asked, even as she ran her hands down his chest to his tight abdomen, trailing a few fingers along the thin line of blonde hair that ran from his navel downwards until it disappeared into his jeans.

"No," Peeta breathed, his voice dripping with desire. Katniss glanced up at him, noticing the way his eyes continued to darken. She could feel the tension radiating from his body, his need for her evident in every labored breath he took. Katniss sucked gently on the nipple she had just licked over before pulling away one last time.

"Good. Now shut up and let me show you how sorry I am for what happened with Cato last night."

Peeta opened his mouth, perhaps to protest that he'd already forgiven her for deliberately going out with the biggest jerk at Panem High, all in an attempt to make Peeta jealous, not to mention the somewhat compromising position he'd found them in when he'd come to her rescue from said jerk, but the stern look on Katniss' face promptly shut his mouth again. Katniss pushed Peeta up against the door to his bedroom and warned him with a scowl that he wasn't to say another word. Peeta bobbed his head once to let Katniss know he'd understood her message.

Katniss began to place more wet kisses along Peeta's torso, gradually sinking down to her knees as she worked her way down until her face was finally level with Peeta's groin. She undid his belt buckle and button, and then slowly drew the zipper of his jeans, before working the pants down to the floor. Katniss ran her hands up and down his thighs before she again began to stroke his length, even more visible now through the thin material of his boxer briefs. She looked up at him a little nervously. The insinuation at what she wanted to do for him was unmistakable, given her position.

"You...you, ah, want...want to do that?" Peeta whispered in a hopeful but stunned tone, breaking his silent vow from before not to speak. But Katniss didn't mind, too engrossed in the awed expression on his face as Katniss nodded her head yes. She dipped her fingers under the elastic waistband of his underwear and tugged them over his narrow hips so that they fell to join his pants on the floor.

Fully exposed, Peeta's erection bobbed a little up and down, and it was Katniss' turn to gasp. His was only the second dick Katniss had seen, not counting the random porn Johanna had brought up occasionally during sleepovers just to embarrass her, but she'd had enough exposure to know that his size was impressive.

"Everything ok?" Peeta laughed, but Katniss knew him too well for the undercurrent of worry in his voice to go undetected.

Katniss wrapped her hand around the base of him and squeezed him tightly. "Ohhhh," Peeta groaned, thrusting involuntarily into her hand. Katniss began to pump him up and down, moving her hand up and over the head before moving back down his shaft.

"Does that feel good?" Katniss asked, running her free hand underneath him so that she could fondle him.

"Y-yes," Peeta managed to stutter out, grimacing with pleasure, and Katniss could feel him trembling beneath her fingers. He rocked his hips in time with her strokes, but Katniss stilled, causing Peeta to give her a look of blissed confusion.

"I love you," Katniss said. She could feel the flush rising in her cheeks. This wasn't something she'd ever done before and only hoped the tips her rudimentary internet search earlier today had provided her would be enough for him. "Watch me." She bit her lip for a second in an effort to quell her nerves before she pressed her swollen lips to the tip of his member and ran her tongue along his slit.

"Oh God," Peeta moaned heavily and gripped the doorknob for support.

Katniss let go of him with a loud pop to run her hand along his cock again before pressing it flush with his stomach. She licked only the vein on the underside of his shaft, faint pride growing within as Peeta visibly shuddered from the sensation and his cock swelled even more in her hand.

More moans fell from his lips as Katniss kissed back up his shaft and swirled her tongue around his tip, lapping at the steady flow of pre-cum leaking from the head. "Katniss!" Peeta gasped. Katniss heard a soft thump as Peeta's head fell back against the door, and his hands found their way into her hair to brush the tendrils that had fallen onto her face behind her ears. But then, he suddenly bucked into her mouth so abruptly that Katniss had to pull away. She looked up at him with wide eyes.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that," Peeta gasped, his chest heaving, his dilated pupils suggesting that he was already missing her mouth. "It's just, you feel so good, and I've never...No one's ever..." he trailed off into embarrassed silence. Katniss smiled. Her boy was so sweet.

She sheathed her teeth and slipped him back into her mouth, fitting in as much of him as she could without gagging. "Oh Katniss, yessss," Peeta slurred out, sounding almost drunk with pleasure. Katniss almost smiled again, but she figured exposing her teeth would erase the now constant stream of moans falling from his lips quickly. She continued to slide him in and out of her mouth, pausing every couple of moments to lick up and down his shaft or twirl her tongue around his head. But when she brought both her hands up to begin working on him in conjuction with her mouth, Katniss felt Peeta's fingers tighten around her hair.

"Katniss," he hissed. "I'm not going to last mu-" He caught himself off abruptly, his breath hitching as Katniss hollowed her cheeks and started sucking on him in earnest. She increased the pace at which she was pumping him. She didn't need him to tell her of the building pressure within his body. It was only too obvious in the way he was rocking gently into her mouth on shaking knees. Katniss glowed with her own pleasure at the thought the she could make Peeta feel this good.

"Kat, I'm going to come," Peeta choked out. Katniss withdrew her mouth and watched as thick hot spurts of white liquid released from him, allowing the pearly strands to fall onto her chest and breasts. After he finished, Peeta slid down the door to land with a loud thump on the carpet, his breaths coming in short harsh bursts. He stared at Katniss with astonishment for a minute as his breathing slowed to a normal rate. "A-amazing. You're amazing. That was incredible. I love you," he finally whispered.

Katniss' blushed again, the boldness she had summoned over the last few minutes now shocking to her. "I love you," she said again, by way of explanation. Peeta smiled at her, affording Katniss the lazy grin she had only ever seen him use with her. It was the one that often suggested an inside joke, or shared secret, or just a mark of their strong friendship. But now that smile also reflected the love between them, a love that Katniss had no doubt was invincible, no matter what challenges they might face in the coming days, weeks, months...years. This moment felt like forever.

She watched as Peeta hopped up, kicking his pants and boxers the rest of the way off, before walking into his bathroom. Katniss heard the tap running, and when Peeta returned, he had a warm wash cloth, which he used to clean her tenderly. When he was done, Peeta tossed the cloth into his hamper and turned back to her with a flirtatious expression.

"Now what are we going to do with you?" Peeta smirked.

Katniss' felt her whole body flush, unsure if what she was feeling was fear or excitement. "Peeta, I don't…" she started to say, in echo of his words from earlier that evening, but Peeta didn't give her the chance to finish. Instead, he hoisted her into his arms and carried her over to the bed and tossed her playfully onto it. Katniss stared up at him, observing the way his eyes were darkening yet again, and her heart began to race.

"Don't get me wrong, sweetheart. I loved what you did..." Peeta said as hooked his fingers into the waistband of her panties and drug them down her legs. He pulled Katniss to the edge of the bed and spread her legs apart before kneeling down in front of her. Katniss could barely breath as she watched him lower his head towards her sex, and she suddenly felt as though her entire body was throbbing with need for him. Peeta smiled up at her and continued, "But you've been the subject of every fantasy I've ever had since I was 12, and I cannot tell you how long I've waited to taste you."

Katniss cried out as Peeta's mouth descended upon her, fervently hoping Peeta had been right about no one being home. But then Katniss couldn't think at all anymore, with the exception of one word.

Always.

**The continuation of this scene, or at least what happened after, will likely make an appearance in The Way We Were, but I hope this was sufficient to whet your appetite. Please still review! I love hearing your thoughts and thank you again to everyone for being so patient. Special shout-out to PeetaBreadGirl for being such an awesome beta. **

**Chapter 3 will be on its way soon.**


	4. Reunion

**Author's Note: I wish to thank everyone again for being so kindly patient in waiting for updates on this story. Real life kicked my butt for about two months straight, but I'm making it a goal to write more. **

**I recently posted a "drabble" for The Way We Were, which is now marked here as Interlude I. If you haven't read it, please do! Every few chapters, I will be doing these to begin revealing more of what happened in the past to our favorite characters. Based on the comments I've received, I know many of you want to know. :) **

**Thank you so much to my betas, ct522/titania522, solas violetta, and peetabreadgirl for their wonderful work. They not only catch my errors, but nudge me to get writing when I need one, and their enthusiasm keeps me motivated. C, A, and G, this chapter is dedicated to you all. Thanks for all the support. **

**Please review! And as always, thank you for reading. **

_Katniss_

"He's such a dick."

Katniss glanced up from the beer label she'd been slowly peeling off her bottle at Johanna, thoroughly wishing her friend would just _stop_ with the comments already. It was only making her and everyone else more miserable than they already felt, but Jo seemingly had failed to grasp that concept. She'd kept up a steady stream of them ever since Peeta had walked through The Mockingjay's doors with that red-headed girl and failed to notice the group sitting at _their _table.

Katniss dropped her gaze back down to the mottled wood, glancing over the pockmarks and scratches, towards the center, where she knew the group's names were carved. Katniss sighed. This table...The one they had spent nearly every Friday or Saturday night at in high school after Haymitch had gotten too tired to pretend he cared they weren't of legal drinking age. The one they had spent countless nights laughing at, Peeta usually at the center of their merriment. Even now, Katniss was hard-pressed not to smile when she thought about the story of the eighty year-old bakery customer who had asked Peeta's _mother_, of all people, for a cake shaped like a stripper.

"Asshole," Johanna muttered darkly.

"God, Jo," Finnick said in an exasperated voice. "Just give it a rest, will ya? We know he's here, ok?" Katniss watched Finnick drain his pint, and then pour himself another from the several pitchers of beer scattered around the table. Katniss took another swig from her bottle. She couldn't blame Finnick for wanting to drown his feelings with alcohol. It wasn't like she wanted to deal with them either.

Peeta's return had rendered them all speechless after their initial words of shock at lunch. All anyone had done after seeing that easily recognizable head of wavy blonde hair was stare mutely, watching as Peeta and the red-head unloaded boxes from Rye's truck. Peeta hadn't looked their way once, not that anyone expected him to, but none of them had looked away until Peeta had sprinted down the steps and torn off on his motorcycle, presumably going back to Mellark House.

After that, they had stared at one another instead, no one quite knowing what to say, though it didn't escape Katniss' notice that her friends were mostly looking at _her._ But Katniss hadn't cared, so consumed was she by the riptide of pain tearing through her heart. She had kept her feelings at bay for four years, but seeing Peeta again, even from a distance, was enough to break the dam of memories she'd put up in her mind. Katniss had clutched her stomach tightly as waves of nausea rolled over her, before she'd practically run off, saying she'd see them tonight.

It was a decision that Katniss had regretted the instant Peeta had walked through that door. The group had yet again fallen into a sullen silence, Johanna notwithstanding, and Katniss had spent the rest of the evening trying to stare at the table, her beer bottle, and anywhere else Peeta wasn't. It was a task that had only been made harder when Peeta made his way over to his uncle's table, which was just a few feet from Katniss' own. His nearness, combined with Johanna's near constant cursing, was enough to drive her crazy.

All Katniss wanted to do was go home and cuddle with Prim, never mind the fact that her sister wasn't even home tonight. Katniss downed the rest of her beer in one gulp.

"Slow down there, Catnip. We don't wanna have to carry you out of here in front of bakerboy there," Gale muttered out of the corner of his mouth. Katniss glared up at him.

"You're not my babysitter, Gale," she hissed quietly enough that the rest couldn't hear, annoyance flaring within her. He's made comments like this all night..._caring_ ones...that Katniss didn't know what to do with. Gale cared, yes, but he'd never been vocal about it, especially when it came to her. Their relationship had always been one of silent understanding.

Katniss grabbed another bottle from the ice bucket they'd gotten along with the pitchers, daring him to say anything. He raised his eyebrows but only shook his head. Katniss sighed with relief that he wasn't saying anything more, even though a small part of her brain knew he was right. She was drinking far more now than during their last several outings combined, made obvious by the way her vision was beginning to blur.

Her eyes swung back over towards Peeta and Haymitch for fifth time in five minutes, kicking herself internally for being unable to resist looking at him, just in time to see the red-headed girl get up from their table. Katniss gripped her bottle tighter in her hand, feeling her scowl deepen. _You don't care, _she reminded herself, even as that same tiny annoying voice in the back of her head asked, _But what if she's his girlfriend? _Katniss shook her head vigorously. This was a dangerous path of thinking, one she didn't want to travel down, that she couldn't _afford_ to travel down.

"Well, doesn't she look like a fucking fairy," Johanna said, breaking the silence yet again. Katniss looked at her friend, grateful, for once, for Jo's continued commentary, only to quickly realize Johanna was staring at her with narrowed eyes. Her face flushed, and she ducked her head back onto the table again.

"She's just walking, Jo," Finnick said in a defensive voice. They all looked at him in surprise.

It wasn't like Finnick to pay attention to any girl longer than it took to get in her bed, much less look at one who wasn't even aware of his existence. In fact, before Peeta's arrival, he'd spent most of the night up at the bar, flirting with any and every girl that batted an eyelash at him. But Finnick didn't seem to notice the group's raised eyebrows and confused glances at each other. Instead, he was looking off in the direction the girl had taken with a glassy-eyed stare.

"Sure, Finnick," Johanna grumbled, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, for heaven's sake, everyone. Why don't we just go talk to him?" Delly suddenly said in a rather squeaky voice. She looked from one person to another, an imploring expression on her face, but when Delly reached Katniss, she only offered a shrug to the upset blonde. "He's our _friend_," she emphasized.

"Fuck that. How is he still our _'friend'_'..." Johanna air-quoted, "...when we haven't seen him in four years, and he made it more than clear when he-"

"P-please don't. I-I have have a boyfriend! He's right over t-there! S-s-stop," a panicked high-pitched voice sounding out from right in front of them, interrupting Johanna's rant.

They all looked up, startled to see the red-headed girl stepping backwards towards their table, away from the town lecher, a man called Cray. Katniss didn't have to see the girl's face to know she was terrified. Her trembling form was more than enough to give her away, and Katniss felt Finnick jerk into her in an attempt to move her to allow him to get around the table to help the girl.

"Katniss, move," Finnick growled, but Katniss was frozen. She had followed the girl's shaking finger to where it was pointing at Peeta, and it had paralyzed her. Katniss suddenly felt like she was drowning as she watched Peeta leap from his seat and stride over to rip Cray off the girl.

"What the fuck?" Cray yelled out. Katniss watched as he shoved Peeta back towards their table. Peeta knocked into it hard and sent several bottles, including her own, and a pitcher tumbling over, but he did not turn around. Katniss felt the foamy liquid spill onto her dress, but no one seemed to notice, much less move. Now everyone's limbs seemed to have iced over, so struck were they by the scene playing out in front of them. .

"I believe the lady said no," Peeta uttered coldly. His back, still turned to them, was rigid with fury.

"That's just what women say," they heard Cray sneer. "They always want it, boy. I don't think your girl is any different."

Anger boiled within Katniss upon hearing that. Regardless of the conflict she felt at learning who this girl was, no one deserved to be spoken to like that. She began to rise from her seat, knowing her, Finnick, and likely Gale, would help Peeta take Cray out. But before she'd risen more than a few inches, Haymitch moved to stand in front of his nephew, violently grabbing Cray at his collar.

"They always want it, eh?" Haymitch growled. "Well, Cray, I'll show you what I want." She watched as Haymitch practically kicked Cray across the floor. When he reached the door, he lifted the man and bodily tossed him down the steps. Katniss' mouth fell open. She wasn't sure she'd ever seen Haymitch lift anything heavier than a beer glass, even though he was the owner of the bar, and would not have thought him capable of such strength. "Stay the fuck out of my place, you bastard," Haymitch yelled after Cray's retreating form.

After a moment of silence, the bar patrons erupted into raucous applause as Haymitch made his way back over towards their table. It was only then that Katniss realized Peeta and the girl were still standing in front of it. Katniss glanced around the table, only to see that everyone was staring at her again. She wondered what emotions her face was betraying.

"T-thank you, Haymitch," the girl shuddered. Katniss could see she was twisting her hands together repeatedly.

"Don't worry about it, girl. Shoulda done it years ago," Haymitch said gruffly. But there was an underlying gentleness to his voice that Katniss had seldom heard, a tone that the man had used only once with her, on a broken day nearly four years ago. She watched Haymitch shift to address Peeta, so that she could finally see his face over Peeta's shoulder.

"You all right, boy?" he asked Peeta. But then his eyes swept over the table behind his nephew. Katniss could see him assess in a fast second Delly's open mouth and Madge's blush, Finnick's sullen expression and Johanna's angry grimace, Gale's stone face, and finally, Katniss' scowl. Alarm lit within Haymitch's eyes as quick as a match will light dry kindling. She knew Peeta must have noticed because he jerked around, slowly, before coming to a rigid halt when he saw them sitting in front of him.

Katniss watched his eyes move over the group with a stunned expression on his face, his eyes a tumult of raw emotion. And when his eyes finally met with hers, his face visibly paled, and Katniss heard a small gasp escape from his lips. His chest began to heave, and he balled his hands into fists, while Katniss willed her expression to remain neutral. She would not give Peeta the benefit of knowing how much she'd missed him, not with the way they had parted, but neither could she look away from his gaze. However Peeta had imagined a reunion between them would take place, she could tell this was not the way he would have chosen.

She was so consumed by his stare that she failed to notice Johanna rise from her seat until her friend had moved to stand in front of Peeta, cutting Katniss off from him. She had to bite her lip to stay her cry of protest, but then she was completely distracted by what Johanna did next.

"So nice of you to finally come home, Bread Boy," she said before emptying the beer pitcher onto his head, sending the scene into chaos.

.

"What the hell, Jo?," Peeta yelled angrily, swiping his now sopping hair out of his eyes, as beer dripped from his clothing onto the floor.

"Peeta!" the girl cried out, her eyes wide with shock.

Meanwhile, Haymitch roared, "Not in my bar, girl!"

But Johanna ignored him and tossed another pitcher Peeta's way, soaking what little dry fabric there was left before snorting, "You know my name Haymitch. I've been here... _We've_ been here nearly every Friday night for over half a decade, which is far more than I can say for some people." She swung back to glare at Peeta, who was staring at her. His furious expression melted away into one of regret at her speech, and Katniss could have sworn his eyes darted back towards her. Johanna balled her hands into fists before saying, "And I'm not Jo to you. Only my _friends_ get to call me that."

A thick quiet fell upon them all in the wake of Johanna's words, the only sound the soft plinks of beer hitting the floor, while Peeta's face morphed into an unreadable expression. His chest was heaving, his face flushed with embarrassment, but all he did was nod his acknowledgement of Johanna's invectives. Katniss saw Jo's eyes narrow, and Katniss understood why. Peeta had never been someone to back down from a challenge. _Except when it comes to your mother and father_, Katniss thought silently.

She jumped as she felt Gale's arm suddenly come up around her shoulders and squeeze them. Katniss looked up at him in surprise. "Are you ok?" he whispered, his eyes filled with an emotion she did not understand. Katniss nodded her head, but then her eyes involuntarily flashed Peeta's way. By the way Peeta's jaw hardened almost imperceptibly, it appeared Gale's action had not gone unnoticed. He opened his mouth to finally speak but a new voice broke the silence instead.

"That's a really good look on you, Peet," Rye laughed, coming up to stand next to Haymitch. Katniss could see his eyes were clouded with drink. He clapped his uncle on the back. "Don't you think so, Haymitch? I believe my parents would be proud." Peeta closed his eyes for a second, as if to ward away some evil wraith, before he opened them again. Now, even his eyes were unfathomable. Peeta swallowed heavily and turned so that he could see his brother, a tense smile on his face.

"I'm sure mom would be thrilled," Peeta said sarcastically. "Didn't you tell her that you were going to be with Olivia tonight? I thought for sure that you'd want to spend time with her after all those hours you were in the bakery this week." They all watched the laughter in Rye's face die at Peeta's question.

"She was busy tonight, _Peet_. And last I checked, you've never made our parents proud," he said, a triumphant look forming on his face as Peeta's flushed. "It's amazing you still try at all."

Katniss saw her own bewilderment at Rye's bitter words reflected in the expressions of everyone else. For the most part, Peeta had gotten along best with Rye out of all the members of his family. At least, that was how it had once been, but the cruel enjoyment on Rye's face at his brother's discomfort suggested things had changed. _Or perhaps Rye had always been that way and just hidden it_, Katniss mused, reflecting on his treatment of her since Peeta had left. Since that time, Rye had shown her, at best, deliberate ignorance, and at worst, obvious anger. Katniss still had no idea what she was supposed to have done, considering Peeta had followed his parent's wishes to the letter.

"Do I need to ask you to leave too, Rye?" Haymitch asked calmly but in a tone that suggested barely veiled disgust. Rye stepped back warily as Haymitch took a step closer to him.

"Haymitch, no. I'll go." Peeta placed a hand on his uncle's arm to stop him. Katniss saw Haymitch's eyebrows rise in obvious question, but Peeta just swiped his wet hair out of his eyes once more. He cast a glance at the group, and Katniss knew she wasn't imagining it this time when Peeta's gaze lingered on her for half a second longer than everyone else. He turned back to Haymitch with a half-smile on his face. "No one really needs me here," he said, but Katniss did not detect any pity for himself in his voice. A strange urge to tell him not to go suddenly struck her, but she quickly suppressed it as Peeta turned to the red-headed girl. "Annie, you can stay or you can come with me, whichever you want," he said in a gentle voice.

_Annie. So her name is Annie. _

Annie exhaled a musical laugh, which was surprisingly loud for someone with such a small frame. She gave everyone an appraising look before saying, "I don't think there's anyone here I want to get to know better except Haymitch. It was nice to meet you," she said with a nod to the older man, and then turned to Peeta. "I'll meet you at the truck." She walked out the door.

Haymitch sighed. "Come on, boy. I'll see you out the door," but not before he pointed at Johanna and growled, "If you aren't here when I return, you'll never set foot in this place again." Jo glared back at him, but she sat down again without protest. Peeta and Haymitch made their way to the door. Katniss watched them talk out of the corner of her eye before Peeta finally slipped outside without a backwards glance.

As soon as Peeta had gone, Haymitch stalked back behind the bar counter and produced a mop and bucket. Katniss couldn't decide what surprised her more, the fact that Haymitch knew where his cleaning supplies were or that he owned them at all. He walked back over to their table and shoved the mop into Johanna's hands.

"Well, that was fun," he said sardonically. He pulled out a flask from his breast pocket and downed a large gulp. He waved his hand over the table and floor. "Clean this up."

Johanna dunked the mop into the bucket viciously and gave him a violent look. "He deserved it."

Haymitch met her glare calmly. "You think so?" he asked. Johanna opened her mouth to reply, but it was Finnick's voice that answered him first.

"Yeah, I think so. In case you forgot, _your_ nephew left all of us, including you! Didn't come to school with all of us like he promised. Toed his family's line when he said he wouldn't..." Finnick was standing now, his hands balled into fists. "Disappeared without a word of explanation and ignored every attempt we ever made to talk to him. Abandoned us. Broke Kat's-" Finnick abruptly cut himself off, a nervous look suddenly crossing his face. Katniss scowled at him, but didn't say anything. Her tongue was still like lead in her mouth, as it had been all evening. Finnick gave her an apologetic grimace before finishing, "Well, it's just clear that he never really cared about us at all."

"That's quite the litany of crimes," Haymitch said with a surprising lack of argument, but a sad sort of smile crossed his face, like he knew far more than he was telling. He nodded down at the mess on the floor and repeated, "Clean this up." He wandered away, leaving them in silence. It was clear no one knew what to say, but the sad looks of all her friends spurred Katniss into an action she hadn't anticipated of herself.

"Haymitch, wait!" she called, stopping him just as he was about to go back into his office. He turned and watched her swiftly approach him with an almost amused expression on his face. He quirked his head at her as if to say "_What?"_

"Do you still have guard positions open for the summer?" Katniss asked. Haymitch's eyebrows rose high on his forehead.

"Why do you want to know, sweetheart?" he asked.

Katniss rolled her eyes. "Because if there's an open lifeguard position, I'd like the job. Obviously," she huffed.

"Aren't you already working at Miss Fancy High n' Mighty's?"

"Well, yeah but… wait, what?"

"You work for Effie Trinket."

"You know who she is?" Katniss couldn't even imagine how her wealthy, meticulously put together employer knew Haymitch.

Haymitch just rolled his eyes. "Tell you what I'll do, sweetheart. I'll give you my last open position, but I want a guarantee."

"Guarantee?" Katniss asked, confused.

"Yeah, guarantees… You get the job. I'll even pay you more than Effie. But you don't get to quit. I've managed the beaches for twenty years, and it's never stopped being a pain in my ass. Season starts in a week, and I only just managed to fill two of the other three open positions tonight."

"Why the hell would I quit? I just said I wanted the job, but fine, I promise I won't quit," Katniss said, exasperated.

"Good. And you can bring that sister of yours along. I'm sure I can find something for her to do. She'll like hanging out with that Hawthorne boy of hers anyways." Katniss flinched. Prim's relationship with Rory was still something she had a hard time accepting.

"Last thing, sweetheart," Haymitch said. Katniss stared at him warily, and he smirked at her expression. "_Sometime_, I'd like to hear about what happened between you and the boy four years ago. Whatever your friends may think, I think you and I both know there's more to that story than they think."

Katniss blanched in shock as Haymitch shut his office door.

**XXXXX**

"So you're going to lifeguard, huh?" Gale asked her abruptly.

Katniss glanced over at Gale with minor annoyance that he had disturbed her peace. The two of them had come to Gale's apartment over an hour ago and were watching TV in comfortable silence ever since.

"Yeah," Katniss replied shortly. Gale fell quiet again, but Katniss sensed he wasn't done talking. Sure enough, after a few minutes, he spoke again.

"But...why do you want to guard, Catnip?" he said. "I know it pays well but you've never shown interest in it before, and you certainly didn't sound interested at lunch today."

Katniss stared at him a moment, perplexed by Gale's confusing interest in her employment. "Well, Delly's right," she finally said. "It's probably the last time we're all going to be together, and it'll be nice for me to keep Prim close. Mean, you even said this morning that she would like working there. So what's your issue?"

"It's just..." Gale said slowly. He took a deep breath before staring at Katniss like she was a wounded animal caught in a trap.

Katniss punched him in the side of his arm. "Gale," she said bluntly. "Just spit out what you want to say. You've never had any problems sharing things with me before, so why are you having difficulties now?"

Gale's eyes slid away from hers for just a second, and Katniss wondered if he was hiding something. But then he met her gaze full-on, and she saw the fire blazing in his face. "Ok, Katniss," he said in a candid tone. "You decide on the day _he_ comes back to work for _his_ uncle. And I'm just wondering if you've forgotten how badly he hurt you." Katniss mouth fell open. Of all the things I expected to come out of Gale's mouth, this hadn't been it.

"Gale-" she started, but he gripped her arm lightly to stop her from speaking.

"I'm not finished, Katniss. You asked what I was thinking, remember?" he said with a smile that did not quite reach his eyes. "You were a shell when he left, Kat. For a while there, I think we were all worried we'd lose you. Pretty sure the only time Finnick and I have ever agreed on anything was when we decided we needed to break you out of your...depression," he finished delicately. Katniss opened her mouth to speak, to protest, but a flash of red suddenly stole across her vision, rendering her mute. She felt Gale take her into his arms, whispering, "I know you had Prim, Kat. I know you weren't going to leave her, but I can't tell you how scared we were...how scared _I_ was for you. It was like you were a totally different person in those first few months after he disappeared."

Katniss pulled back a little and stared up at Gale, his eyes pleading for her to listen to him. Katniss gave him a small smile in an attempt to reassure him she was ok, even as she internally thought that Gale had no idea what he was talking about. But then how could he? Katniss had never told anyone what had really happened between her and Peeta, and that wasn't about to change now.

"I'm not going anywhere, Gale," she whispered to him. "I'm going to stay right here and cause all kinds of trouble." Gale smiled down at her, but then he sighed.

"You're still going to work for Haymitch though, aren't you?"

Katniss nodded. "He said he'd pay me more than Effie, and it _will_ be nice that Prim will be close enough that I can keep an eye on her."

"You don't trust my brother?" Gale laughed.

Katniss shook her head more vigorously. "Nope. And besides, it's not like P-P-Peeta…"she stumbled, feeling Gale's arms grip her more tightly at the mention of her ex-best friend...her ex-boyfriend's name. "Sorry," Katniss mumbled. "It's not like Peeta will be working for Haymitch anyways. You have no idea how much Adelaide hates her brother. I'm sure their family will have him working in the bakery or going to the country club or I don't... don't even know," she finished, color flooding her face, embarrassed not only for her knowledge of the way the Mellark household functioned but also because of the pain that stabbed her heart at the thought they wouldn't be working together.

"So… you don't...care that he's back?" Gale asked slowly.

Katniss thought of all the early morning baking lessons Peeta had given her, the dough and frosting fights she always instigated, and he always finished... the laughter...the _happiness_ they'd felt during the many years they'd worked side by side in the bakery, long before they'd even started dating. Those were the good memories she clung to in her dreams, when she wasn't consumed by nightmares, but she seldom visited them during the day. _You don't care_, she reminded herself for the second time that night, but even as she thought that, she caught sight of the clock sitting on one of Gale's tables.

12:01

Katniss heart dropped into her stomach, and the look on her face must have alarmed Gale because he heard call her name softly. "Katniss?" he asked, but by then Katniss was lost to another memory, in which a blonde-haired woman showed Katniss the truth, and a blonde-haired boy shattered her heart. Katniss could still feel the wind of that unusually cold spring day biting at her cheeks as she fled from that gargantuan house. Gale couldn't possibly know, but today was the four year anniversary of the day Peeta Mellark had disappeared from her life. How ironic that he had chosen to return at this time, of all times.

"Katniss?" Gale asked again in a louder voice. Katniss looked up at Gale only to find his eyes laced with worry. She hated being the cause of his pain, and more importantly, she wanted to forget her own.

"No. I don't care that he's back," she said rapidly in what even she knew was an unconvincing tone. To put an end to the discussion, which was making Katniss feel uncomfortable, she suddenly commanded him, "Gale, I want you to take me to bed now," and set her jaw into a scowl that brooked no arguments. But she didn't really need to. Gale had never protested the rare times she instigated _this_, and tonight was no different.

Gale picked her up and rapidly carried her to his bedroom, his grey eyes, so much like her own, darkening with desire. He set her down gently and stripped off his clothes before returning to climb on top of her, using his elbows to support his weight. He trailed kisses along her jaw while he pulled the zipper that ran along the side of her dress down and tugged it over her body. Katniss almost sighed with relief that he seemed to have let the conversation drop in favor of this more carnal pleasure. .

Sex with Gale was easy. He never demanded Katniss give any more of herself than was required and asked for no emotional investment. In fact, they rarely said anything at all to one another when they slept together. She clutched Gale's head to her breast as he sucked on one dusky nipple, a hand coming up to fondle her other breast, allowing his lips to wash her mind blank.

They both took what they needed, recognizing there was no reason to complicate things, no reason to bring on the emotional messiness that came from being in a relationship. A physical release was all that Katniss had ever craved with Gale, an escape from the stresses in her life, a way to forget the pain.

She moaned loudly as Gale spread her legs and thrust inside her, filling her, their foreplay soon over. Katniss set a rapid pulse, as she always did, craving her climax. Gale had occasionally tried to slow her down, but that was a kind of intimacy Katniss had only shared with one person, and could not bear to mete out again. Not with Gale. Not with_ anyone_. For the next few minutes, only the mixed sounds of their heated breath filled the room.

"Oh God, Katniss," she finally heard Gale mumble, his voice shaking in a way that told Katniss he was already close. She quickly snaked a hand down her torso to touch herself, wanting to reach her finish before Gale finished his, but Gale surprised her. "Here, let me," he said breathlessly. Katniss tensed as he began to circle her clit with his fingers with practiced ease while he kissed her breasts in that way he knew she liked. She looked up into his stormy eyes, when a new color she hadn't seen in long time flashed within them, causing her to gasp loudly.

_Blue._ A _clear, crystal, sky blue. _

Katniss cried out as her as her orgasm hit her, sending thunderous waves of pleasure through her entire body. It was the most powerful one she'd had in a long, long time, and Katniss felt Gale release into the condom, unable to repel the onslaught of her shuddering walls. He breathed heavily against her breast for a few moments before he finally rolled off her.

"That was...amazing," he murmured contentedly.

But Katniss said nothing, too stunned to even react to the compliment. That color blue belonged to only one person. Katniss knew that, but she did not want to accept what her heart was trying to tell her. And it wasn't until much later, when she was still lying awake, long after Gale had fallen asleep, his body turned away from her, that Katniss finally allowed her tears to fall.

**XXXXX **

"It's really hot, isn't it?" Delly said in a mildly put-out voice, swiping dispiritedly at her limp curls. Johanna, Madge, and Katniss exchanged amused glances.

Delly was sweet and fun, but she wasn't always practical, a side effect of her fashion-conscious mother's influence on her. So it hadn't surprised them when she showed up for their pre-season lifeguard in-service day in full makeup and perfectly done-up hair. Katniss doubted she'd show up to work like that again.

"Here, Delly. You can use this," Madge said. She pulled off one off her hair bands from her wrist and offered it to the Delly, whose expression immediately brightened.

"Thanks Madge!" she said enthusiastically. She looked around as she pulled up her hair into a bun with a confused look on her face. "Shouldn't Haymitch be here by now? It's after 10, and he said to be here at 9:30."

"If Haymitch has ever gotten up before 9:30, then I'm the God of the Sea," Finnick said as he sat down beside them. The rest of them burst out laughing in agreement.

"Yeah, if that old drunk shows up before 11, we'll be shocked. Right, Katniss?" Johanna asked, and Katniss, still laughing, nodded her agreement. She looked at the group of twenty or so people sitting scattered on the sand in front of the guard house, waiting for Haymitch to appear.

Most she didn't know, as the majority was college kids from Panem U's lower classes, like the two dark-haired guys who had introduced themselves as Mitchell and Holmes, or the bespectacled boy who called himself Beetee. But a few she knew from high school, such as Thresh Davis, Marvel Lewis, and the Leeg twins. Surprisingly, even Cato Montgomery had shown up, bragging that his wealthy parents didn't care what he did this summer, and that he had mainly taken the job to pick up chicks. Katniss had blushed profusely when he had arrived. The memory of the single horrific date they had gone on in high school still loomed large in her mind, though Cato barely spared her a glance, giving no indication he remembered her at all.

She turned to her right and winked at Prim, who was sitting a few feet from her with Rory Hawthorne, and her good friend Rue Demak. True to his word, Haymitch had given her sister a job in the concession stand, where she would be working with Rue, Rory, and a few other high school-aged kids under the charge of an older woman named Sae. They only had to be here for this first day of training this week, in order to go over their roles when it came to emergencies. Katniss knew Prim would have loved to be on the beach instead, but Haymitch required his guards to have graduated high school in order to work Panem's sometimes treacherous shore.

"So….Katniss," Johanna suddenly whispered to her, tugging on her braid lightly to direct Katniss' head back towards her. Katniss wrinkled her nose when she saw the penetrating expression Jo was giving her. Whenever Johanna gave her that look, usually questions she didn't want to answer followed.

"Yes?" she asked reluctantly.

Johanna rolled her eyes. "Don't give me that, Brainless. You were basically mute on Friday night, didn't respond to any of my texts this weekend, and when I picked you and Prim up this morning, you wouldn't look at me. So what's going on? Spill it."

"Nothing, Jo. I was just busy," Katniss lied. Johanna's derisive snort suggested she did not believe Katniss in the slightest. "I mean, I had to clean the house. It's easier to do when Prim is at a friend's, and then I had to inform Effie I was quitting. Do you know how hard it is to do that without Effie losing it?" Katniss said hastily. Johanna rolled her eyes again.

"You just tell the woman you're quitting and don't care how she feels about it! She'll find someone new to help her easily. Effie pays well enough." Johanna then narrowed her eyes at Katniss suspiciously. "And besides, according to Duck, you weren't at the house when she stopped in on Saturday." Katniss felt her stomach drop to the sand.

"I...I was there most of the time," she said softly, hoping Johanna wouldn't hear her, but she had no such luck as Johnna huffed out a loud puff of air.

"Yeah, sure..._most_... And where were you the rest of the time? Off with Gale? Letting our mechanic examine your _parts,_ right?" Johanna said loudly.

Katniss' face flooded with heat. "Can you be any more crude, Jo? Be quiet!" she hissed. But Johanna wasn't having any of it and fixed Katniss with a hard stare.

"What are you doing, Kat?" she asked. "I know you've been friends since you were little, and I know you've been sleeping together lately…" she hesitated. "But I've never heard you talk about wanting more from him. So I'm going to ask you again. What are you_ doing_?"

Katniss glared at Johanna. It was none Johanna's business what was going on between her and Gale. "Did I ever say I wanted more?" she said angrily. "I'm perfectly fine with what we are doing and so is he! And it's not your concern."

Johanna's eyebrows rose with disbelief. "Sure, Katniss," she said in an edgy voice. "But I've never seen you throw yourself at Gale quite as much as you did after we left The Mockingjay on Friday night, and I can't help but think it wasn't simply because you wanted Gale _that _much."

Katniss set her jaw, trying to keep her face impassive, and willed herself not to slap her friend. Johanna was making her feel exactly the way Haymitch's insinuation had on Friday. _Well, fuck him. Fuck Johanna. And fuck anyone else who wanted to know_. Katniss' feelings, and who she slept with, were her own and weren't something she was required to share with _anyone_. She was just about to tell Johanna that when Haymitch's gruff voice stopped her.

"All right. Let's get this started," Haymitch grumbled tiredly as he approached his employees, his haggard face suggesting they had been right in that he hadn't been awake long. He was accompanied by a tall man with dark skin who looked to be a few years older than the rest of the guards. Haymitch surveyed the group with mild distaste, but Katniss knew him too well to believe he really hated doing this. As he'd said at the bar, this was his twentieth year doing this. He waved them all to move closer to where he was standing.

"I'm Haymitch. Everyone already knows me," he said bluntly before gesturing to the man at his side. "And this is Boggs. He's your Head Guard, and the one you'll be reporting to most often. If you need me during the workday…" He thumbed his finger in the direction of the building behind him. "I'll be in the Guard House, but it better be something _really_ important." Katniss exchanged a look with her friends. They all knew what that was code for. She turned back to Haymitch just in time to catch him looking in their direction, a smirk on his face.

"Well, now that my introductions are over with, what say we get to know one another?" He nodded at Katniss. "Let's start with you, sweetheart." Katniss scowled at him, but Haymitch just crossed his arms, clearly waiting for her to say something.

Finally, she said, "I'm Katniss Everdeen." Haymitch's smirk widened.

"Uh-huh. And where is Katniss Everdeen from?"

Katniss stared daggers at him. "Panem. I've lived in Panem my whole life. You know that, _Haymitch_."

"Indeed, I do," he said, meeting Katniss' stormy gaze without hesitation. Katniss scowl deepened, leading Haymitch to smirk again. "All right, Odair, you're up next." .

Though she rarely acknowledged it, she and Haymitch were fairly alike in disposition, something that had always amused Peeta. After years of interaction, there was seldom a time that the older man didn't seem to understand what was going on in her head. Katniss used to like that when she was younger, when she had thought of him as a sort-of surrogate father after her own had died, but lately, it was just a nuisance. She sighed and went back to listening to the introductions.

There were her friends: Johanna, Delly, Finnick, and Madge. The ones she had already recognized from school: Cato, Marvel and Thresh, along with the twins, Maria and Megan Leeg. Then, there were the three boys from Panem U she'd already met and the rest: Massala El Ramahi, Jessica Paylor, Wiress Cain, Cressida Berendt, and two brothers, Castor and Pollux Dioscuri. And of course, Rue, Prim, and Rory, along with a few other concession workers Katniss didn't bother trying to remember the names of.

When they had finished, they all looked back up at Haymitch, only to find a rather perplexed look on his face. "There should be two more of-"

"Peeta Mellark. I'm from Panem," he interrupted Haymitch.

Katniss felt her eyes widen, Peeta's voice inducing an insidious sort of anxiety within her. Her heart pounded in her chest, shock lancing through her yet again for what felt like the hundredth time in the last few days.

"_It's not like Peeta will be working for Haymitch anyways."_

Katniss could barely register the hails of greeting from those who'd known him in high school, so loud was the echo of her words to Gale in her head. Only now, they were a hollow promise. She glanced at Haymitch suddenly, and though his eyes were on Peeta, she felt as though he had been watching her.

"What the fuck has he been doing?" Katniss heard Johanna say under her breath. Katniss looked at her confusedly but followed her gaze. A small involuntarily thrill stabbed at her core when she realized what Johanna was staring at.

Peeta was standing behind the group, his hair tousled and damp, as though he'd already been in the water. Katniss could see Annie standing behind him, but then she lost all track of her surroundings as she got her first good look at Peeta's body in four years.

He did not have a shirt on, and the sunlight was glinting off the sprinkling of blonde hairs scattered over his well-defined chest, far more fit than it had ever looked in high school, even with all the wrestling he'd done. Katniss' eyes slowly made their way down his torso to take in his abs, the narrow V of his hips, and the line of blonde hair that disappeared below his red swim trunks. Katniss followed the now invisible trail to the bulge visible at the apex of his thighs, remembering…remembering... Everything south of her belly caught fire. Katniss had to duck her head and squeeze her legs together to find relief. _No. You can't go there. _

She looked up at Peeta's face, only to find him standing with a hand-frozen in mid-wave. It was clear he'd caught sight of _everyone_ he would be working with. She saw his eyes go to Haymitch even as a pink flush crept up his neck, something that Katniss knew happened when he was stressed.

"And who's your friend, Peeta?" Haymitch asked. Katniss felt a rippling anger boil low in her stomach as she remembered Haymitch talking about his recently filled guard positions. She would not have taken this job if she'd known Peeta and Annie were the ones he'd hired, and Haymitch had to have known that when she asked.

"I'm Annie," the beautiful red-haired girl said, stepping out from behind Peeta. She gave everyone a small smile. "I'm Peeta's cousin, and I'm staying with his family for the summer, but I'm originally from the Capitol."

Katniss' head jerked up, and she exchanged a startled look with Johanna. _His cousin?_ _She...she wasn't his girlfriend?_ _But what had that been about at the bar then?_ Katniss' heart flip-flopped painfully in her chest.

"Well, welcome Annie," Haymitch said in a mild voice that contrasted sharply with the now conflicted expressions on so many of his employees' faces. He clapped his hands loudly when he realized half of them weren't paying attention to him, while Katniss watched Peeta and Annie sit down a few feet away out of the corner of her eye.

Haymitch rubbed a hand over his face. "All right, now that introductions are out of the way, I have something to say. After that, you can all have a break before we begin training." He then glared at everyone, an intensity in his eyes Katniss wasn't sure she'd seen before. "I've been doing this for twenty years," he said slowly. "In that time, exactly one person has drowned on my watch. It's going to stay that way," he said furiously. "If the people on Panem's Parks Board weren't a bunch of cheap assholes, we'd hire professional lifeguards, but it is what it is. There's a reason I only employ your age group." They followed his finger as he pointed it out to the sea. "You're not guarding the kiddie pool in a country club. You're guarding the ocean. It's large, it's deceptive, and it's unpredictable. Meanwhile, the people you're going to be protecting are _stupid_." He took a deep breath. "Therefore, while I don't give a shit what you do during your breaks, when you're on duty, you better be doing your fucking job. Any questions?" A smattering of quiet "no's" punctuated the air, and Haymitch nodded with satisfaction.

"Good. Maybe you aren't as big a bunch of idiots as I usually have to deal with. One last thing, and then you can take 20 minutes for yourselves." He pointed far down the beach to a small dock near a large white fence that Katniss recognized as the one that marked the beginning of the Mellark's property.

"We have several wave-runners to use this year. Two of you will be out using them at all times, making sure no one gets too far from the shore. With all the other crap Boggs needs to go over with you this week, there's not gonna be time to go over how to use them if you haven't used one before. But during your breaks, you can ask Peeta to teach you how to drive one if you so choose. His family donated them, simply out of the goodness of their _hearts,_" Haymitch finished, but Katniss detected the underlying sarcasm in his statement. She glanced at Peeta, whose mouth had now become a grim line.

Katniss wondered what had gone on for a brief second before she shoved the thought away, her anger at Peeta's presence returning. She scrambled up after Haymitch without another word, resolutely ignoring Prim's frantic waves for her to come over. She could postpone _that_ interrogation until later.

She called out, "Hay-"

"Haymitch!" Peeta's voice overlapped hers. She turned in disbelief, only to find him standing right next to her. His blue eyes were wide with apology and another emotion Katniss couldn't fully define. Katniss scowled at him, and he looked back at her.

"Yes?" Haymitch asked, interrupting their staring contest.

Katniss gritted her teeth, deciding she was going to say exactly what she wanted, even though she felt Peeta's electric gaze on her. "You lied to me, and I want to quit."

Haymitch snorted. "Sweetheart, I did no such thing."

"Fine. You omitted telling me some pretty important things. It's the same difference," she spat.

"Whatever you say, sweetheart." He turned to Peeta. "I suppose you came up to say the same thing, right boy?" Katniss saw Peeta's jaw set.

"I wouldn't have asked for the job if you'd told me who else you'd hired, Uncle," he said heavily. Katniss flushed. It appeared Peeta didn't want to be anywhere near her, or any of them, and she willfully ignored the knife-like sensation slicing through her chest.

Haymitch looked back and forth between the two of them before smirking once more. "Well, regardless of what I said, I believe both of you promised not to quit on me, and I'm going to hold you to that." Katniss opened her mouth, a vehement reply on her tongue, but Haymitch waved his hand in dismissal. "You're not going to find a better paying job, Katniss, and Peeta, I can guarantee I'm the only one in this town who will hire you without your mother's approval."

"That's a pretty low argument, even for you, Haymitch," Peeta said in a frustrated voice.

Haymitch looked between the two of them once more. "Doesn't make it any less true, son. I expect you both to work together." He began to walk away, but he did not leave without one last parting shot. "Brrr," they heard him chuckle. "You two have got a lot of warming up to do before showtime." Katniss felt Peeta's eyes on her again as she watched Haymitch make his way up the stairs to the Guard House, finally turning to her former lover when she heard the door snap closed.

"Katniss, I...I wouldn't have asked Haymitch for this, if I'd known you were going to be…" His voice trailed off, but Katniss did not miss the sadness in his eyes. For some reason, it made her all the angrier. _So he didn't want to work with her, did he? _

"Don't worry about it, Peeta. It's not like we have to talk. I'll be sure to stay away from you," she said. Katniss walked off to join Johanna and others, failing to acknowledge her secret wish for him to come after her.

**Author's Note: Ok! I know that was a bit of a brutal chapter, but stick with me! A thaw is coming; I promise. Please remember to read Interlude I, and please comment. I love reviews! **


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